


my aching chartreuse heart

by BobaAddict



Series: my beautiful lilac dream [2]
Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Sweethearts, Established Relationship (with S/H), F/F, Flashbacks, Loneliness, M/M, Self-Denial, Starting Over, rated T for occasional language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-11-28 17:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20970236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobaAddict/pseuds/BobaAddict
Summary: [OFFICIAL SEQUEL TO 'my beautiful lilac dream']Five times Wind Archer was stuck in the past, and one time he looked towards the future. (Or, the one where the florist keeps claiming that he’s fine, even though it becomes increasingly obvious that he isn’t.)





	1. just to see him smile.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"And yesterday I knew just what he wanted, when he came walking up to me with him."_
> 
> (Wind Archer doesn't understand why everyone's asking if he's okay like something bad's happened.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so y'all remember how I posted mbld around christmas? guess this one is the sad halloween edition lolzor <strike>seriously this wasn't intended. I think there's something about holidays that caters to my muse subconsciously</strike>
> 
> welcome to the official sequel to **my beautiful lilac dream**!!!! that fic ended up gaining much more traction than I thought it would, so when I found out the other day how many hits/kudos it has, the gears in my head just began to turn and this is the result of that. I highly recommend that you (re)read mbld first though, because this fic is going to make tons and tons of callbacks and references to it! 
> 
> I got more to say but I'll say it in the notes below, don't wanna spoil things too much for the time being lol. enjoy!

_As soon as Sparkling is out the front door, an unimpressed Wind Archer stares down the four cookies in front of him. “How much of that did you hear?” he asks as all of them scramble to their feet as quickly as they can._

_Well, all of them except one. That vampire one looks far too content lying on the floor, as if he hasn't just been caught eavesdropping on a private, one-on-one conversation._

_“Lucky for you, not much,” the one with the red ponytail grumbles as she dusts herself off. “Why did Bubbles have to make everything so soundproof…”_

_Why is she saying that like Sparkling is somehow in the wrong for doing that…? Still, Wind Archer decides not to question this further, as he senses that it’d be pointless._

_“Didn’t your guardians ever teach any of you to respect other people’s personal matters?” he instead settles on questioning. “I thought I made it clear that I was here for the bartender and the bartender only.”_

_The cookie in the tan hat glares at him, balling his hands into fists. Right, he’s the one who was so ready to chase him out of the bar before Sparkling requested otherwise. “Yeah? How were we supposed to trust you alone with him? I was there when Herb got drunk, too, you know. You haven’t exactly left a great first impression.”_

_Wind Archer rolls his eyes. “I didn’t need your trust, considering the situation had nothing to do with you.”_

_“Of course it does! As Sparkling’s friend, I should know what you said that made him run out like that!”_

_“Guess that yourself. The correct answer should be obvious, anyway.” He narrows his eyes at the scowling cookie. “If you want, you can go ahead and give chase. I doubt you will, though, because I have a feeling you don’t want to interfere in what he’s about to do.”_

_Tan Hat clicks his tongue in such an irritated way that Wind Archer knows that he’s hit the bullseye. He turns to look down at his friend still prone on the floor, now that he’s unable to come up with a satisfactory retort. “Come on, Vampire, help me out here.”_

_The light snoring is the sole response, but it says all. Tan Hat groans, while Wind Archer wonders how one could fall asleep so quickly on such an uncomfortable surface._

_“Anyway, I suppose I’m staying here for a bit,” the florist remarks as he moves out of the restroom’s doorway and towards the barstools. “Chances are that the two of them are going to take their time at the shop, and I don’t want to impose.”_

_“W-wait, so he’s gonna be gone for a while?” Red Ponytail’s voice chimes in from behind him._

_Wind Archer stops momentarily to turn his head towards her. “Isn’t that what I just said? If you wanted him to make you a drink, you’ll have to wait—”_

_He’s cut off when she dashes right past him and practically leaps over the bar counter, disappearing from view behind it. He can hear her shuffling and throwing various objects around, and he can’t help but pity Sparkling for having to clean up the resulting mess later._

_Tan Hat has at least stopped antagonizing him for a bit to direct his attention towards her. “Chili Pepper!” he shouts._

_“Cram it, Indiana Jones! I _know_ he has secret stashes of hot sauce around him!” she yells back as the ruckus only increases in volume._

_Wind Archer swears he can hear Tan Hat mutter something about how he told Sparkling that a thief such as her should never have been allowed entry to the bar. He opts against asking for elaboration, instead resigning to the fact that the bar simply attracts a handful of odd cookies._

_His evidence for that? The fact that the one on the floor is still dozing away despite how loud Red Ponytail—Chili Pepper—is being._

_Just as he begins to question his decision to stay here with this strange group, he feels a hand on his shoulder, and he turns. Although he fully expects it to be Tan Hat ready to give him more trouble, that turns out to not be the case. Instead, it’s the last of them, the one that hasn’t spoken since Sparkling ran out, the one that’s been such a nonpresence that Wind Archer has honestly forgotten that he’s here._

_He’s about to annoyedly request him to let go, but it’s the red cookie that speaks first. And his simple yet invasive question is enough to make the other freeze:_

_“Will you be okay?”_

* * *

“This is so _sad_!”

Wind Archer, already regretting saying anything at all, blankly stares at the cookie on the other side of the counter. She’s practically bawling into her handkerchief, tears streaming down her face as if she’s in the middle of telling him some tragic sob story.

Instead of, you know, him simply telling her what happened between him and Herb. Why exactly is she the one crying?

“Pink Choco,” he begins, awkwardly gripping the pot of red tulips in front of him, “you’re still buying this, right?”

She’s obviously not even listening, with how she dramatically puts her hand to her forehead, continuing to moan, “Oh, such a heartbreaking end to this saga of love! I’d shoot him with my Love Beam, but… what a wonderful beginning for him and Sparkling! Yet it’s heartbreaking for _you_! What ever shall I do?!”

How exactly did things turn out this way again? Oh, right, because she offhandedly asked why he’s the only one in the flower shop right now, and he then explained to her that Herb is out looking at this empty space for rent. She then questioned him further, and he then told her that his colleague is busy planning to open a tea shop. She started worrying, and then that was when he made the mistake of mentioning that Herb is getting help from his new boyfriend.

And thus, she freaked out on him and forced him to explain everything, which meant that he had to tell her about how the bartender up the street had essentially whisked his ex away when their own relationship had hit a rough patch. And, even worse, how Wind Archer himself ultimately had to order Sparkling to go after Herb so the latter could be happy.

“That was so selfless and kind of you, Windy!” Pink Choco goes on, seemingly forgetting where she’s at. “You let your own heart break for the sake of other cookies! No wonder Herb loved you for so long!”

It’s a good thing that she’s a regular at the flower shop and that Wind Archer has known her for a while, or else he’d simply think she was mocking him. He’d be very, _very_ offended if that were the case.

Still, this conversation is quickly growing to annoy him, even though he acknowledges that she’s being genuine; needless to say, she’s hitting multiple sore spots. “He obviously stopped loving me towards the end, which is why he fell for another,” he says aloud before he can stop himself, though he immediately regrets it. He hates how uncharacteristically spiteful he sounds uttering those words, and with the way Pink Choco’s eyes widen, it’s clear she’s put off as well.

Fortunately, the uncomfortable air dissipates when the front door to the shop opens a mere second later, and two cookies step in. Unfortunately, however, these two cookies are the very ones that Wind Archer and Pink Choco have been talking about up to this very point in time.

“That went so much more smoothly than I thought it would!” Herb gushes, his cheeks tinted red with excitement. “That place is perfect for the tea shop!”

“I had a feeling you’d think so,” Sparkling chuckles, turning to see Wind Archer and Pink Choco at the checkout station. His hand lets go of Herb’s, and he raises it to wave, a move that he obviously makes for Wind Archer’s sake. “Hello.”

“Hello,” Wind Archer practically forces himself to greet back. He’d be more natural about it if Pink Choco hasn't already made him feel squeamish about the subject. “I’m assuming things went well over there.”

Herb nods emphatically. “Ah, they did!” He beams in a way that makes the butterflies in Wind Archer’s stomach flutter. “I’m so excited! At this rate, the tea shop will be open sooner rather than later!”

“Herby, you didn’t tell me you wanted to open a tea shop,” Pink Choco speaks up, having completely recovered from Wind Archer’s earlier outburst. Already, she seems excited for him.

“Hey, Pink Choco! Yeah, I’ve been wanting to do it for a while, but it was only recently that I decided to try it out.” Herb rubs the back of his head shyly. “Sparkling here was the one who encouraged me to do it.”

Obviously, that’s not really new information for Wind Archer, but he still can’t help but think about how, when they were still dating, Herb didn’t even bother trying to tell him about his aspirations. Apparently, he was worried that he wouldn’t have taken it well, so he went and confided in Sparkling instead… and only after the bartender gave him advice did he tell him.

Bleh. He decides he’s not going to be a part of this conversation, so he starts inspecting the tulips to make sure they’re in perfect shape. Or, at the very least, he’s pretending to. He simply doesn’t want to stand there rigidly like some outsider as the three of them discuss this topic.

“Oh, right, Sparkling!” Pink Choco clasps her hands together and grins at her fellow blond. “You’re Herb’s new boyfriend! Windy was just telling me about you!”

_Pink Choco, I know this is hard for you, but shut up before you say anything that embarrasses all of us._

“Oh?” Sparkling cocks an eyebrow. “And what exactly did he say?”

_You fool, don’t enable her!_

“That you took Herb away from him right as their relationship was vulnerable!”

Wind Archer pounds his fist on the counter and glares at her. “That is absolutely not how I described it!” As his eyes dart over to the couple, a wave of horror descends upon him when he sees how uncomfortable and taken aback they both look. Especially with Herb—_Herb_, who never gives things a second thought, who never notices anything upsetting even when he should—his almost guilty expression says it all. “Think before you speak for once!”

“Huh?” Pink Choco tilts her head to the side in confusion before the realization dawns on her, and she raises her hands in alarm. “Oh my god, I didn’t mean it that way! I-I just—”

“Pink Choco, you want to buy those tulips, right?” Herb interrupts before the situation can get any worse. He’s always been able to handle her loud mouth better than most. “We have a ‘buy one, get one’ free deal for those today! Let’s go pick out another batch!”

Such a discount does not exist, Wind Archer realizes, but it’s not like he’s going to stop Herb’s attempt to leave this horrid topic far behind. He’s briefly relieved when his ex drags their customer towards the rear of the shop and out of sight, but then he realizes that he’s now alone with Sparkling himself.

Oh, dear.

It isn’t like this is the first time the two of them have been by themselves together, what with that one time that they stood in a restroom talking about personal matters. It isn’t even that Wind Archer hates the bartender, despite having all the reasons in the world to. He’s conceded to the notion that Sparkling may be more right for Herb than he himself has ever been, but he’s otherwise still uncertain how he feels about him. That’s just one of the things that makes him different from his former boyfriend: it takes way too long for him to decide he likes someone, yet he wastes no time at all in disliking someone.

Maybe it’s because of differences like this that they didn’t work out.

“Embarrassing friend, huh?” Sparkling finally comments in order to break the silence. “I have a few of those at my own workplace.”

Wind Archer suddenly remembers the cookie who slept in the doorway between the bar and the restroom, and he gets the sense that Sparkling’s partly talking about him. “I know I sound like I’m covering for myself, so you probably don’t believe me,” he replies, ‘but she really did put words in my mouth just now.”

Sparkling nods. “I’ll take your word for it. Are you okay, though?”

It takes a second for Wind Archer to realize what he’s talking about, and he rolls his eyes. “Need I remind you that I went to you that day out of my own free will?”

“No worries, I think I do have a vague recollection of that,” Sparkling deadpans, clearly sarcastically. “I’m just making sure that you’re not secretly mad even after everything you’ve done.”

Is this halfwit really thinking about something as trite as that? Why? Herb is happy, so isn’t that all that matters? It’s not like the two of them are friends, either, so why is he so concerned about his feelings? Wind Archer quickly decides that whatever reason there is, this is already far out of his comfort zone. “And why would I be?” he asks him, choosing to play dumb in the hopes that the other cookie will drop it.

Unfortunately, he does not. “I may be a moron, but I’m not stupid,” he simply states.

“Seriously, I’m _fine_,” Wind Archer utters with a tone that makes it clear he’s drawing an end to this topic, whether Sparkling likes it or not. “And _we’ll_ be fine, as long as you don’t hurt him.”

There’s that look again, that same gaze that Sparkling gave him that fateful night he dropped an intoxicated Herb off at their once shared abode. It’s an unrelenting and challenging stare that conveys all that it needs to—he isn’t going to back down and let Wind Archer shoot him down so easily. Still, despite this, all he says in response is, “You and I both know I already have. I have no plans of doing something like that again.”

He clearly wants to say more and persist in whatever it is that he’s trying to accomplish here, but Pink Choco and Herb then emerge from the back and prevent him from doing so. As he smiles at them and compliments the fresh pot of flowers she has in her arms, Wind Archer opts to keep out of the new conversation; he’s never been a fan of pointless small talk to begin with, but he especially isn’t feeling up to it now, considering the words he’s just exchanged with Sparkling.

Seriously, what is up with the guy? Why worry about how he feels about the situation when Herb is the one that he should be focusing on? Ridiculous. He hopes he isn’t left alone with him again any time soon, because he’s absolutely not willing to resume that awful line of questioning.

“Windy,” Herb’s voice cuts through his troubled thoughts. When he turns to his coworker, he’s greeted with a gentle smile that reminds him why he loved him at all. “Do you want me to check Pink Choco out instead? You seem out of it.”

“Ah…” Wind Archer finally looks down at the pot of tulips that have been sitting on the counter since forever ago, then back up at the second batch that his friend is still holding. Shaking his head, he gives in, “Sure.”

He can’t help but watch the way Herb moves around the counter to the register, the way he lovingly gazes at the flowers like they’re his children, the way he kindly tells Pink Choco how to care for them… It’s a sequence of events that he’s seen a million times before and wishes he’d see a million times more. Yet he knows that isn’t possible, not when the prospect of a tea shop is looming over all of their heads, ready to snatch Herb away from him once and for all.

He’s aware of the inevitable day when the flower shop becomes his and his only, while his most important cookie moves on with a new occupation and a new lover. But he doesn’t dare mention the subject out loud, because he’s fine, and he’s long accepted the truth of the matter:

Herb is no longer his, and they’re both free to live separate lives.

Which is totally fine, and it’s not like anyone is doing anything wrong. No need to raise an issue that doesn’t exist to begin with.

It’s all _fine_.

* * *

_Wind Archer doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, but then he shrugs the hand off of his shoulder. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asks the other cookie much more sharply than he intends._

_“Yeah, Fire Spirit,” Tan Hat agrees, though he’s less irritated and more confused than Wind Archer. “Why wouldn’t he be? The guy broke up with Herb, not the other way around.”_

_Fire Spirit shrugs, his mouth twisting into some half-smirk, half-grimace. “No reason. Just double-checking, really,” he says in a tone that signifies that there is indeed a reason. However, he drops the subject regardless._

_Although he’s glad that this stranger does at least have the tact to not press further, Wind Archer can’t help but feel troubled by his entire character. What exactly is he thinking? The mere notion that this guy is trying to dissect his psyche despite not knowing him at all unsettles him deeply._

_But it’s not like he can just ask him what he’s up to, so all he can really hope for is that this is the last time the subject will ever come up—or, better yet, this is the last time he ever sees any of these cookies. It’s not like he wanted the predicament between him, Herb, and Sparkling to become known to anyone else… but hey, turns out bartenders like to blab._

_Whatever. It’s not a big deal. After all, the story he and Herb have created has finally drawn to a close, and this is the final act. Nothing of note is going to follow suit, because everyone has gotten their happily-ever-after ending._

_And that’s how it should be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post this until this fic was 100% finished on my part (I'm almost done with chapter 4 at the time of typing this) but school has started for me and it's making me... inconsolably upset so I just went fuck it today
> 
> while this sequel idea didn't hit me until recently, I knew that if I ever hypothetically wrote one, it'd have to focus on windy because I.......... did him really dirty last time LMAO. plus, that whole thing with the tea shop? uh, hello? ...what I'm trying to get at here is that this entire fic is meant to tie up any potential loose ends that mbld left
> 
> also I will be the first to say that windy totally jinxed himself when he said he hoped he wouldn't see any of these guys again
> 
> find me over on tumblr and twitter!  
tumblr: [bobaaddict](http://bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)


	2. when we were young.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"It was just like a movie, it was just like a song."_
> 
> (Wind Archer finds that he doesn't really like seeing other cookies' PDA.)

_Nature calls to him, its very guardian. Its company is far more peaceful than that of his fellow cookies, which is why this young cookie prefers the forest over urban civilization. He stands in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by tall, luscious trees, breathing in the fresh, crisp air and enjoying the serene solitude._

_He is an individual who has virtually zero interest in connecting with others of his kind, and it isn’t like they’re dying to reach out to him, either. Others would probably resent this fact, but he doesn’t; as long as nature remains his friend, then he’s perfectly content with his place in the world. With the soft grass tickling his feet and the light wind caressing his face… Yes, he’s okay with this. He always has been and forever will be._

_Eventually, however, the peace is disturbed when he hears a rustling in the nearby bushes, a rustling that he knows isn’t just caused by the breeze. His figure stiffens, and he instinctively reaches for one of the arrows in his sack, pulling it back with his drawstring and aiming it in the direction of the noise._

_“Show yourself!” he commands with such authority that it’s easy to forget his young age._

_“Ah, I’m sorry!” An unfamiliar head emerges from one of the shrubs, eyes widening when he notices the drawn weapon. “I-I come in peace!”_

_The guardian immediately relaxes and lowers his bow when he sees that it’s only a child, not much younger than he. “What are you doing here around these parts?” While he’s no longer poised to attack, that doesn’t mean he isn’t still a little suspicious._

_“Oh…” the child trails off as he looks down somewhat sheepishly. “I don’t know.”_

_“You… don’t know.”_

_“I was picking flowers for my mom,” he admits, and it’s only then that the guardian sees the assortment of blue and purple in his palm. “But now, I… I think I’m lost.”_

_Typical. “Why did they let a little kid such as yourself wander around alone?” he asks him, not bothering to hide his displeasure._

_“Y-you’re a kid, too!” the child retorts back defensively. “P-probably not as little as me, but still…”_

_The guardian sighs, fully prepared to tell him that he knows the forest far more than he does, but he ultimately decides not to argue back. “If I must, I can guide you back.” As kind as the forest is, it can also be rather dangerous to strangers. “Your mom is probably missing you right now.”_

_He’s suddenly greeted with bright, round, chestnut eyes. “Y-you’d do that?”_

_He asks that so earnestly and innocently that the guardian finds himself unable to maintain eye contact. “Yeah… Come on, let’s not waste any time.”_

_He moves past him, just a little more quickly than he normally would, only to halt immediately at the sound of his small voice:_

_“Wait.”_

_The guardian turns tentatively, unsure of what he will see as he does. His eyes lay on the child cookie once more, who is now holding out one of the hydrangeas in his bouquet._

_“Take this as thanks. I’m really grateful.”_

_“Don’t be silly. I’m just trying to do a good deed… and that’s just a flower,” he says, supposedly to brush him off, and yet he still steps forward to accept the offering. Their fingers brush briefly as the hydrangea transfers over to him, and he tried to remember the last time he touched another cookie._

_“A flower that symbolizes gratitude!” the child insists, continuing to beam ever so happily._

_Again, the guardian looks away, suddenly uncomfortable. “We should go,” is his brusque reply, his hand gripping the hydrangea far more tightly than necessary._

_The child nods and skips closer to him. “I’m Herb!” he introduces himself, still with that irksome, discomfiting grin that honestly seemed permanently etched into his face at this point. “What’s your name?”_

_It isn’t everyday that the guardian meets someone that cares enough to ask who he is, which is probably why his first instinct is to avoid answering the question. For some reason, however… he pushes past that urge and relents:_

_“It’s Wind Archer.”_

* * *

It’s been a couple of months since Wind Archer lost Herb in the personal sense, and he’s currently in the midst of losing him in the professional sense. Just a week ago, construction on the tea shop officially began, so his ex has been gone from the flower shop even more than before. It’s gotten to the point where he sometimes doesn’t come in at all for the entire day, and Wind Archer is lucky if he even catches a glimpse of him when he passes by the area in the evening.

He’s _fine_ with this, of course. He’s happy that Herb’s dreams are finally coming to fruition, and if seeing him less is the sole consequence of that, then it’s all worth it. It’s not like he’s disappeared from his life forever.

He’s currently in the middle of caring for the large sunflowers at the rear of the store, troubled over how one of them is drooping like it’s about to topple any second. The flower itself _looks_ fine, but its stem clearly isn’t able to support its weight. He’s going to have to look into why this is so, but first things first, he can’t exactly leave it like this…

Quickly thinking up an idea, he takes one of the arrows out of the sack on his back and sticks the pointy end in the soil. He uses it to align the sunflower’s stem and ties them together with some garden wire he has on him, hoping that it’s a sufficient albeit temporary solution. He’ll have to ask Herb if he has any better ideas the next time he sees him.

Because Herb has always been the one able to solve these issues, not him. Wind Archer can’t help but wonder if he really will be okay managing the flower shop alone.

“Windy!” he hears a voice call for him from up front, and he hurriedly files his troubled thoughts into the back of his mind. When he goes up front to see who it is, he’s greeted with the sight fluffy, pink hair barely contained by a multitude of ribbons.

“Cotton Candy,” he recognizes her after a second or two. She’s been in the shop before, but he doesn’t know her as well as Herb does. “What are you doing here?”

“I need your _pinkest, most romantic_ flowers!” she practically shouts, because she’s never bothered to remember the actual names. She only cares about whether they convey love or not. “I need a whole bunch!”

Wind Archer manages to keep down his grimace regarding the vague directions. Still, at least this means that she’s not picky about her options. “Who’s this for?”

Cotton Candy only sighs wistfully. “My new love.”

“Weren’t you here a couple weeks ago saying the exact same thing?” Now that he’s racking his brain for the memory, he swears he’s remembering it correctly. Herb actually was here on that particular day, so he was the one who helped her out then. “The… phantom thief, was it?”

“Ah, right.” Cotton Candy deflates a little at the mention. “I tried making a move and asked where they live, but then they gave me a fake address.”

Wind Archer decides that he doesn’t want to continue down this line of questioning, so he shrugs it off. It’s not like any of her woes are relevant to him in any shape or form. “Then who’s this new cookie you’re pining after this time?”

She brightens right back up again at the question. “She’s right outside, actually!” She turns for the front door, prompting him to momentarily believe that she’s leaving, but all she does is open it and stick her head outside. “Come on in!”

“I already told you, I don’t feel like it,” utters another voice that doesn’t necessarily feel _familiar_ to Wind Archer, though he has a hunch that he’s heard it at least once before.

“Don’t be shy!” Cotton Candy obviously has no plans to take no for an answer, evident from how one of her arms shoots forward and grabs this unknown cookie by the wrist.

“H-hey, I’m not shy—!” her companion begins to protest, but she doesn’t get the chance to continue before she’s pulled into the shop and into Wind Archer’s view. He’s one of the first things she notices once she’s indoors, and she blinks in slight surprise. “Ah.”

Wind Archer blinks back, immediately remembering who she is and where he’s seen her before. Between this one and Cotton Candy’s previous infatuation, did… did she just have a thing for thieves? “Ah.”

“It’s you,” Chili Pepper acknowledges rather cryptically, putting one of her hands on her hips. “The arrows guy. The one Flower Boy dumped.”

He’s the one who broke up with Herb, so the careless mistake irritates him more than he cares to admit. “And you’re the one who searched for the bartender’s hot sauce like a raccoon searching through a garbage bin.”

Chili Pepper scowls and twirls one of her knives in her hand. “Watch it. Don’t you know it’s rude to not address cookies by their actual names?”

“I was merely copying you,” Wind Archer deadpans. Others would probably feel threatened by her, but he isn’t as submissive. He still has his masterful aim with his bow and arrows, after all.

Fortunately, Cotton Candy cuts in before their exchange has the opportunity to escalate into something ugly. “Wait, you know each other?!” she asks them excitedly, seemingly not noticing the tension in the air.

Chili Pepper’s expression considerably softens at the sound of her voice, and she lowers her hand. “Not really.”

“We’ve only met once before,” Wind Archer clarifies for her. “I guess this is a lesson for me to not judge a book by its cover, but you didn’t strike me as the flower type.”

“I’m not,” Chili Pepper states incredibly flatly, doing her best to avoid looking into Cotton Candy’s heart-shaped eyes. Wind Archer wonders if those are her Achilles’ heel, capable of wrecking her tough exterior with just one glance. “Her idea.”

He turns his attention back to the pink cookie. “Usually, when someone decides to give flowers romantically, they don’t bring the giftee with them. It’s… supposed to be a surprise, normally.”

Her expression turns even more lovestruck than it already was to begin with. “Ah, but isn’t it so much more romantic to look at them together? It’s like knowing what to expect, yet going along with it anyway because you care for that cookie so much! It’s a symbol of… of…”

“Eternal love?” Wind Archer offers, despite not really following her logic.

Still, he must have hit the nail on the head, because she nods enthusiastically. “Yes, yes!” To herself, she mumbles, “That’s good, I should write that in my next letter…”

“So, you getting them for us or not?” Chili Pepper pipes up impatiently. “Didn’t Cotton Candy already tell you what she wanted?”

_How odd it is for her to actually not refer to someone by some made-up nickname,_ Wind Archer muses. Aloud, he concedes, “I’ll try to find as many _pink flowers_ as I can and bring them out to see if you like them. Excuse me.”

As he moves to the back once more, he hears Cotton Candy ask her new girlfriend, “How do you know him? I’m really curious!”

“Oh, you wanna hear that stupid story? Bubbles the bartender from up the street developed a crush on Flower Boy, so…”

That’s all Wind Archer hears before he retreats to the storage room, where their voices can’t reach him. Why does he suddenly feel queasy? Maybe he should take his time retrieving what he needs, just so they’d be guaranteed to have finished the discussion by the time he returns.

Cotton Candy squeals at the sight of the countless number of azaleas, dahlias, carnations, camellias, and other flowers in front of her. There are so many that they take up most of the space on the large counter, stacked on top of each other to the point where Wind Archer is barely visible to her and Chili Pepper.

Hm, maybe he overdid it in his attempt to elongate his time retrieving all these. Still, at least his customers seem happy about it.

One of them, at least.

“Even if you were giving us all of these for free, I still wouldn’t take them,” Chili Pepper grumbles.

“That’s new,” Wind Archer snarks.

Her eye twitches, but she deigns to react more than that. “Seriously, don’t tell me you’re making us pay for this.”

“If you’d be so kind as to make a selection as to which ones you want, maybe I can charge you more appropriately.”

“All of them!” Cotton Candy interrupts, earning herself a look of horror and betrayal from Chili Pepper. “They’re all perfect!”

“No, they’re not!” her girlfriend shouts much louder than necessary, only to get a face full of puppy dog eyes at that. “Erm…”

_Yup. Those are definitely her weakness,_ Wind Archer, opting to keep silent, thinks to himself. All he wants is to go home. Maybe he should close up shop early or something, since chances are that Herb isn’t going to come by and check up on him anyway.

“Come on, sweetie!” Cotton Candy begins insisting, clasping her hands together. “They _are_ perfect, don’t deny it!”

“H-how many times do I have to tell you that I don’t like flowers?” Chili Pepper argues back lamely as she uncomfortably turns to glance at Wind Archer. Either she feels self-conscious having this argument with him around, or she’s expecting him to jump in and save her.

Either way, he’s not in the mood to involve himself in any of this. She’s just going to have to deal with it in whatever way she sees fit.

“Really?” Cotton Candy frowns. “But they’re beautiful like you!”

Somehow, it’s possible for a cookie of Chili Pepper’s color to turn even redder. “Huh?!”

Wind Archer hates everything about this. Given everything that’s been on his mind lately, he’s not particularly keen on watching a sappy scene play out in front of him.

“It’s true!” Cotton Candy plucks one camellia out of the infinite bunch of them and gracefully tucks it in Chili Pepper’s hair. “See? If I were wrong, this wouldn’t fit you so well!”

That does it. That simple action is more than enough to drive him up the entire wall. Before he can stop and really think about whether this is the right move, Wind Archer scoops up as many flowers as he can before he shoves them into Cotton Candy’s hands. After he does the exact same to Chili Pepper, he begins to push both of them towards the front door.

“Arrows?!”

“W-wait, Windy! You haven’t given us all of them yet!” Cotton Candy protests, having noticed the flowers that remain on the counter. “And we still need to pay!”

“They’re on the house,” Wind Archer quickly says, continuing to force them closer and closer to the exit. “So nice of you to come by, but it’s getting late, and I have to close up.”

“What? But it’s only, like, two in the afternoon!”

“Don’t think I’m gonna give you a good rating on—” Chili Pepper begins to say sharply, but she doesn’t get the chance to finish before she and Cotton Candy are both outside with a door separating them from Wind Archer.

He quickly locks the door to prevent them from coming back in and turns on his heel. A huge part of him is aware that he shouldn’t have done that just now, but he’s in too much turmoil to care much. All he wants is to be alone without having to deal with anyone; it currently doesn’t matter how unprofessional he’s being, or how he just gave away a bunch of flowers for free, or how he's probably hurt Cotton Candy’s feelings… Those are all things he can ponder later.

Once he gets behind the counter once more, he falls into a sitting position and hugs his knees close. He places one hand over his chest in a fruitless attempt to still his beating heart, wondering why he’s suddenly overcome with emotion. Why exactly did he kick the other two cookies out when they did nothing wrong?

Actually, he knows why. That camellia. The one Cotton Candy put in Chili Pepper’s hair.

To anyone else, that would have simply been an innocent and sweet gesture, but to Wind Archer, witnessing that has only reminded him of everything that he’s lost. Because in his mind, somewhere deep down, there lies a memory of his youth, during a time when things were simple: a memory of two children who shared a single hydrangea between them.

* * *

"Here_ we are.”_

_Herb beams in both happiness and relief when they reach the edge of the trees, where they clear in lieu of civilization, a setting much more familiar to him. He really did wander way too deep into the forest, so he was extremely lucky to have run into Wind Archer. Who knows what would have happened if he didn’t…_

_“Thank you again,” he smiles at him._

_Why is it so hard for Wind Archer to look at him directly? How unlike him. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s nothing?” he asks, his grip on the hydrangea as firm as ever._

_Herb hums, seemingly not really listening to his attempts to dismiss his words. Instead, his eyes are focused on the blue flower, his expression transforming into one of contemplation._

_“W-what?” Wind Archer questions, feeling a little self-conscious for some reason._

_“Mm, nothing,” Herb replies, but then he extends his hand out. “Can I have that for a second?”_

_This confuses Wind Archer, but he relents anyway. Once the younger cookie is once again in possession of the hydrangea, he inspects it for a bit, holding it up at eye level and… doing what, exactly? Before he can ask him, however, the latter reaches up and puts it in his hair, right on the side of his head._

_“...What are you doing?”_

_“I just thought it’d suit you,” is Herb’s sole explanation. “I mean, you’re green all over, so I wanted to see if you looked good with another color! Not that there’s anything wrong with just being green, of course.”_

_“S-stop this silliness,” Wind Archer instructs, but it’s hard to take his word seriously when he sounds less strict and more embarrassed. Which, to be perfectly fair, he absolutely is. “How could you possibly think a flower belongs in my hair?”_

_“You mean it doesn’t?” Herb tilts his head. “It looks good, though.”_

_“Don’t say such ridiculous things,” Wind Archer utters sharply, wondering why he’s becoming so undone at such a shallow compliment._

_Herb shakes his head. “I’m not lying, I really think it fits! Anyway,” he segues into a new topic without missing a beat, “are you always around here? I’d like to see you again.”_

_This only serves to make Wind Archer even more bewildered, but he knows better than to start questioning him. He gets the sense that Herb is the type of cookie who can be surprisingly insistent when he wants to be. Instead, he only nods numbly, not too sure what he can say without making a fool of himself._

_“Great!” Clutching his bouquet, he turns to leave. “See you again, Windy!”_

_“B-bye… Herb.”_

_In a rare act of open friendliness, he raises his arm and waves goodbye before it falls back to his side. It’s only after Herb’s a fair distance away that he tenses in realization._

‘Windy’?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I have no words today other than by the time this fic is over night raven is probably gonna call because he wants his emo back from windy
> 
> find me over on tumblr and twitter!  
tumblr: [bobaaddict](http://bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)


	3. it will rain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"'Cause there'll be no sunlight if I lose him."_
> 
> (As if Wind Archer doesn't already have enough on his mind, the biggest thorn in his side suddenly shows up.)

_A young cookie around the age of a teenager stands at the edge of the forest, glancing up at the grey sky when he feels drops of water on his face. Sure enough, the gloomy clouds up above indicate it all; it has begun raining, and judging from how quickly it’s beginning to pour, it’s not going to be merely a brief drizzle._

_He doesn’t have anything on him that can shield him from getting soaked, so he’s going to have to resort to shelter elsewhere. Fortunately for him, he’s surrounded by large trees, so he simply hurries to stand under the nearest one where he will surely remain dry. As he seats himself on the ground and pulls his legs close to him in a huddle, he watches the rainfall with intent._

_Despite how inconvenient it is for him, he can appreciate it whenever the storm clouds hit. After all, it means that the plants around him are being blessed with fresh water, allowing them to thrive just a little bit longer. Every time he sees the blue sky turn grey and the sun get swapped out for clouds, he’s able to breathe a little more easily._

_Not to mention that it feels so peaceful to just gaze at the rain without any external distractions. Before long, he feels himself nodding off while he waits, ultimately falling asleep to the weather’s rhythm._

* * *

It’s a rainy morning, but it’s expected to clear up by the afternoon, thankfully. Wind Archer used to enjoy watching the raindrops fall from the sky, especially since Herb loves it so much, but recently, the imagery only serves to make his heart hurt. Whenever he lets himself listen too much to the pitter-patter, he finds himself in a certain bar once more, swallowing his feelings and telling one certain blond cookie what he needs to hear.

Why does that scene still stick out to him after so long? He’s not exactly sure. It’s been months at this point, and yet, the sequence of events plays out more vividly with each passing day. As memorable and significant as that day is for him, it’s not like he hasn’t long since moved on.

He’s fine, and yet his annoying mind refuses to let go. It’s quite funny how brains function, sometimes.

He makes his way down the sidewalk in the direction of the flower shop, prepared to open up for the day. Once again, for what feels like the millionth time at this point, he’s alone without Herb by his side, but that’s okay—he’s become quite used to it. To be completely honest, he doesn’t even remember the exact day he last saw him… Last week, he thinks? But that was only a fleeting moment with each other, since Herb is as busy as ever with constructing that tea shop. He does at least still remember seeing him, which is more than can be said about the last time he saw him _for an extensive period_.

Well, the silver lining is that he’s becoming adjusted to being on his own all the time (again). He’s finally begun picking up on the little nuances of Herb’s side of the work, taking care of all the plants alone in the way that they once did together. He ought to count this as a learning experience, since it technically is improving his skills as a florist.

He can vaguely feel the drops hitting his leaf umbrella as he continues his stroll. After what feels like forever, the shop comes into view, and he subconsciously relaxes at the sight. Finally, it’s time to get some proper shelter from this—

“Allergiesallergiesallergiesallergiesallergiesallergiesallergiesallergies!”

Maybe it’s just because he’s gotten so used to having the solitude, but Wind Archer actually jumps a little bit when the foreign voice reveals a second presence. Before he can turn around, a swarm of orange and yellow appears dashes forward from behind him, quickly turning red as it abruptly stops right next to him.

A _very_ warm hand reaches out to grip his arm, the same one that is holding the umbrella up, and it’s all he can do to not flinch at the sudden contact. He finally manages to get a glance at who the newcomer is, but once he does, he wishes he hasn’t.

Out of all the cookies that this could have been, why is it _him_? Because even though nothing has technically happened, he only has a _bad_ feeling about this one.

“Is… Is my hair okay?” Fire Spirit pants, reaching up with his free hand to feel his usually flaming top. Cringing when he senses that it’s lost some of its volume, he grabs Wind Archer’s long scarf and starts using it to fan himself.

“Do you _mind_?” a displeased Wind Archer grumbles at the intrusion. He still remembers this guy from that day at the bar, with the way he came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder and asked him some stupid question… Annoying.

“Ah.” Fire Spirit releases the cloth, seemingly noticing his company for the first time. “Oh, hey. It’s okay if you share this umbrella, right? Rain’s not really my thing.”

“It’s a little late to ask that, considering you’re already standing under it.”

Fire Spirit only shrugs without remorse. “Yeah, you got a point.”

A fresh wave of irritation washes over Wind Archer, and he has half a mind to just leave this guy behind, exposed to the rain. Yeah, he's _annoying_. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Once again, Fire Spirit runs his fingers through his hair, this time apparently satisfied with it as he soon lowers his arm. “It’s raining. I’m fire. Therefore, I’m allergic.”

“Is that what you call it?”

His question goes ignored. Instead, the other cookie tugs gently on his wrist, asking him back, “Come on, don’t you have a flower shop to take care of?”

Wind Archer groans, but he begins to move again nevertheless, if only because Fire Spirit is right about the shop. This time, however, he’s not alone, and he instead now has a companion… albeit an unwanted one that is sticking way too close to him for comfort.

“Let me ask you this obvious question. Why are you here?”

Fire Spirit shoots him a funny look. “Didn’t we just establish this? Hiding from the rain.”

“Yes, and we also established that I’m heading to my place of work. Don’t tell me you’re about to use it as a hideout until it clears up.”

“Something wrong with that?”

Wind Archer’s eye twitches. Very rarely does he feel his blood pressure rising as quickly as it is now. “Fine, let me rephrase it then. Why are you out here in the rain to begin with?”

“Oh.” Fire Spirit stays silent for a bit, before cheerfully informing him, “I wanna buy some flowers!”

_You insufferable, little—_ Before he can finish that thought, Wind Archer takes a deep breath before slowly exhaling. He should at least _try_ to not resort to using his arrows to settle things. “So you were headed for the shop, anyway.”

Fire Spirit nods. “Yeah.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They reach the shop merely a few moments later, and as soon as Wind Archer unlocks the door, Fire Spirit rushes right in like he’s frolicking through an open field. “Ah, sweet, sweet dryness! No rain or moisture, none of that to ruin my day!”

“Just hurry up and get what you need,” Wind Archer sighs as he closes his umbrella and steps indoors. After he wipes his feet on the welcome mat, he moves to his usual place behind the counter. “I’ll let you stay until the rain lets up, but that’s it.”

“Sure, whatever,” Fire Spirit relents in a tone that prompts the green cookie to suspect that he’s not really listening. “I’ll be in the back!”

“Just so we’re clear, if you break something, I’m charging you full price,” Wind Archer calls in his direction, but he’s already not paying that much attention. He’s instead more focused on taking the shop’s ledger out of one of the drawers so he can calculate this month’s profits, a chore that he’s always done even when Herb was here. Still, it’s easily the most boring part of the job, and he never is able to look forward to tallying everything up.

After only a few moments of having the book open, he’s already distracted. What exactly is that Fire Spirit doing here…? Although he said that he’s here to buy flowers, Wind Archer can’t really bring himself to believe that; something about the way he made that claim is highly suspect. He was just too flippant, almost like it’s actually a casual excuse for him to lurk around for some other reason…

But if that’s the case, then why? Of course, he was one of the cookies who was there _that_ day, so he knows of what happened. And now, after all these months, he decides to come here? They’ve only met that one time, so it isn’t like this can be a social visit, either… What is that cookie up to? He doesn’t know him well enough to predict his moves, yet he seems way too mischievous to be trusted.

Speaking of which, why is it so quiet? The entire shop is dead silent, almost like he’s the only one here. There should at least be _some_ noise coming from the shelf area… and yet there’s none? Wind Archer feels a knot in his stomach when his imagination begins running wild. He should at least check to see how Fire Spirit is faring, if only for his own sake.

Right as he begins to step around the counter, he hears a voice from up above, “What’s on your mind?”

Wind Archer reflexively whirls around and grabs an arrow, pulling it back with the drawstring of his bow and aiming it in the voice’s direction.

“Whoa, whoa, okay!” Fire Spirit flinches as he hovers in the air. “Good boy… Put that down…”

Wind Archer frowns—both at the surprise appearance and being talked down to like a pet—but he still complies. “I thought you were back there.”

“I was. But now I’m here.”

“I don’t see you holding any flowers.” He narrows his eyes at the floating figure, becoming even more suspicious. “Did you lie to me when you told me you were here for them?”

Fire Spirit remained straight-faced for only a moment before breaking out into a wide grin. “Smart, aren’t we? Not that I had you pegged for an idiot, anyway.”

“It’s not like you were trying that hard to keep up the charade,” Wind Archer replies, crossing his arms. “So? What are you here for, then?”

“Hey, what’s with the attitude? You sound like you think I’m gonna mug you.”

“Just tell me, or I might change my mind about shooting you with one of my arrows.”

“Okay, geez! Not one for banter, are you?” Fire Spirit mumbles as he lands on the counter. Positioning himself so that he’s sitting and swinging his legs in front of him, he explains, “I’m here for you.”

“That sounds _exactly_ like what a mugger would say.”

“Let me finish. I’m here for you so that you have someone to talk to while you work.”

That… is unexpected. Raising his eyebrows, Wind Archer prods, “Excuse me?”

“You’re the only one taking care of this place on most days, right? It’s got to get lonely sometimes,” Fire Spirit continues. “So, out of the goodness of my heart, I’m extending a hand of friendship—”

“Declined.”

Fire Spirit’s jaw drops. “Huh?!”

“You’re obviously pitying me, and I don’t need that,” Wind Archer deadpans. “And I don’t get lonely. I prefer the solitude.”

“Tch,” Fire Spirit clicks his tongue in slight annoyance. “I figured you’d say that, which is why I lied in the first place. And explain to me, how is it pity?”

“What you said just now was the basic definition of pity. I’m saving you from wasting your energy with me.”

“Maybe if you’d let me finish what I’m saying for once, we’d have fewer misunderstandings between us,” is Fire Spirit’s retort. “Come on, Windy, you think that’s the only—”

“_How_ do you know my name?” Wind Archer interrupts once more, though this time, he’s pretty sure he has a legitimate reason to do so. If he remembers correctly, he’s never introduced himself to Fire Spirit, nor has the red cookie ever had the opportunity to overhear the name ‘Wind Archer’ being spoken.

“Dude.” Fire Spirit’s growing annoyance at being cut off is apparent. Going on as if it were obvious, he explains, “I’m a regular at Sparkling’s bar. He’s dating your ex-boyfriend. Of course I know your name. It’s come up in passing a couple of times, but ‘Wind Archer’ is a little too long for my tastes, so I shortened it to ‘Windy.’ People _do_ call you that, right?”

“My friends do.”

“Cool, so that means I can keep using it?”

Fire Spirit is not his friend. “No.”

“Good to know, Windy.” Either he somehow didn’t hear the refusal, or he’s simply choosing to ignore it. Judging from what little Wind Archer knows about the guy, it’s more than likely the latter scenario. “In return, just call me ‘Fire.’ We both got the curse of long names, huh?”

“If you’re so keen on the two of us being friends, why are you suddenly here for the first time?” Wind Archer decides the whole naming situation isn’t worth debating any further. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other, you know. This is a little out of the blue.”

“Yeah, about that…” Fire Spirit hops off of the countertop and into a standing position right in front of him. With a completely serious expression, he says in a mildly questioning tone, “You kicked Chili’s girlfriend out of your shop a while ago?”

Wind Archer groans, the memories of that day flooding back to him. As much as he wants to apologize for how he behaved, Cotton Candy hasn’t shown up since that day. It’s only left him feeling more guilty for being so rash. “And _how_ do you know about _that_?”

“Dude! Chili Pepper Cookie. Regular at the bar. Like me. She felt like venting the other day. _Do the math_.”

“Fine, fine.” Wind Archer raises his hands up in defense. “So you know everything about me because we share acquaintances. I thought she said you guys weren’t friends, though.”

“We’re not,” is the very direct answer. “We just keep running into each other because we apparently drink on the same days… unfortunately,” he adds that last word under his breath. “She was mainly talking about it with Sparkling. I was just there.”

“I still fail to see how that incident has anything to do with your motives here.”

“Well, once I heard the story, I thought you were acting funny, you know? I know we barely know each other, but no one does things like that without a good reason.”

Wind Archer’s expression hardens as he recalls the turmoil that drove him to do what he did, and he suddenly has the urge to wring Fire Spirit’s neck. For this guy’s own sake, he better not be going in the direction he suspects.

“You remember what I asked you that day, right? If you were gonna be okay?” Leaning his face in, Fire Spirit lowers his voice. “Just between you and me, I totally didn’t believe you when you said yes, but I couldn’t exactly say anything. Up until when I heard about Cotton and Chili, at least.”

_The nerve of…_ “You’re wrong. I’m _fine_,” Wind Archer growls, hands balled tightly into fists. If he were a cookie with any less self-control, this conversation would’ve turned ugly in a second. “You don’t even know me, so how about you not make inaccurate judgments about me like you do?”

He expects Fire Spirit to continue pushing, perhaps to the point where he would have to kick him out of the shop, but to his surprise, all he does is shrug. “Yeah, you’re right, I don’t.” He takes a pause, but then he finishes, “But I could.”

“What?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m extending a hand of friendship,” he offers cryptically as he moves towards the exit. “Which means you can expect me here a lot more often.”

Wind Archer is about to cut something—no, some_one_. “And what if I say I don’t want you here?”

“Then ignore me,” Fire Spirit states without any hesitation. “If you’re not in the mood, then I’ll just stay in the back or something. I’m not so dumb as to get in your way.”

Wind Archer glowers. “Do you not have anything better to do?”

“Nope!” Fire Spirit chirps, taking the leaf umbrella from earlier out of the umbrella stand. “Also, can I borrow this? It’s still raining, after all.” Without even waiting for a response of approval, he grins. “Cool, thanks!”

“If you really are going to keep coming, you’re out of luck. I absolutely refuse to humor you.”

Fire Spirit pushes the door open with his entire body as he opens the umbrella. “That’s fine.”

This cookie is absolutely infuriating. “Must you be so stubborn?” he snaps at him, glaring as viciously as he can manage.

“Funny, because I could say the same thing to you!” Fire Spirit finally stops with only one foot out the door, but that intolerably knowing smirk remains. “Besides, I like to think of myself as more of… not a giver-upper, if you will.”

“Just realize you’re beating a dead horse, you imbecile!”

Fire Spirit feigns shock. “My, my, we’re already at the pet name stage, are we? Seems like you’re warming up to me more than I thought you would. I guess I’ll see you soon… _Windy_.”

The nickname rolls off his tongue in such a sugary yet teasing manner that Wind Archer finds his face growing warm—from anger, embarrassment, or both, he isn’t sure. With his arms still crossed, he harrumphs and turns away while Fire Spirit finally leaves. By the time he glances back at the exit, the only visible evidence that that wretched cookie was ever here is the swinging of the door.

Is this what his gut was trying to warn him of earlier, when he first noticed him by his side? He should’ve listened and just left him in the rain when he had the chance.

* * *

_“Windy?”_

_The cookie stirs at the sound of his nickname being uttered, cracking open his eyes to see a figure standing in front of him. As his vision clears of sleepiness, he recognizes the familiar face and its concerned features directed towards him._

_“Herb?” he manages groggily, stretching his legs out in front of him. He winces at the sudden numbness that overtakes them. “What are you doing here?”_

_Herb only smiles. “I saw it was raining, and I got worried. I didn’t know if you’d be able to keep yourself dry.”_

_It’s only then that Wind Archer notices the giant leaf hanging above his friend’s head in the form of an umbrella. He can only imagine that carrying that around is much more convenient than hiding under a tree for hours on end._

_“Did I wake you up?” Herb inquires. “I’m sorry.”_

_Wind Archer shakes his head. “N-no, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting you to come today…”_

_“A little rain never stopped me.” Closing his umbrella, Herb steps forward and plops himself down next to the guardian of the forest. “You don’t mind, do you?”_

_Even though the rain creates a cold chill in the air, Wind Archer feels his entire body warming up. “Of course not. I’ve never minded.”_

_Herb beams and scoots even more closely to him, so closely that their shoulders are touching and his hand is on top of his. Leaning slightly into him, he comments as he watches the rainfall, “I really love it when the weather’s like this.”_

_Wind Archer’s eyes shift to glance at him without moving away. Finally, he nods in agreement. “Yeah… me, too.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god do I love fire spirit he's such a chaotic boy. also hey now that he's shown up, the pace of the entire story has picked up, and I'm so excited for windy to suffer uwu enjoy this while this lasts guys, because chapter 4 is where it starts getting kinda heavy
> 
> find me over on tumblr and twitter!  
tumblr: [bobaaddict](http://bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)


	4. stay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Something in the way he moves makes me feel like I can't live without him."_
> 
> (Maybe, just maybe, Wind Archer does yearn for companionship.)

_Wind Archer, wide-eyed, stares at the bashful Herb in front of him, wondering if he’s just heard him correctly. “W-what did you say?” is all he can manage out, and he can’t help but wince at how pathetic he sounds. Deep down, he knows that he needn’t ask something so pointless._

_Herb is twiddling his thumbs and refusing to meet his gaze, instead staring down at his own feet. “I…” He gulps, looking like he wants to take it all back, but then steels himself. ‘I-I said I love you.”_

_As the realization finally hits, Wind Archer finds himself suddenly overcome with emotion. Herb just… confessed to him? That he’s in love with him? How is that plausible in any way, shape, or form? He’s so confused… but more importantly, he’s afraid._

_But why? Why the anxiety? He should be happy—no, he’s pretty sure he’s actually happy underneath it all, but why is his pulse speeding up like he’s in imminent danger? He feels like his heart is about to beat right of his chest, and his cold, clammy fingers grip his bow extra tightly so to not betray their trembling. What is wrong with him?_

_“Windy?” Herb calls out for him worriedly when his childhood friend doesn’t say a word. He slumps his shoulders a bit. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, really—“_

_“I do!” Wind Archer practically hollers before he can stop himself, because the prospect of Herb misunderstanding him terrifies him even more. When the latter steps back at the outburst, he visibly cringes. “I just… I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve never been in a relationship before.” Is he jumping to conclusions here? Does Herb even want a relationship? Or is he just telling him this to get it out in the open?_

_Herb blinks. “Me neither,” he responds as if that were the most obvious fact in the world. “You know that.”_

_“I-I mean…” Wind Archer’s mind scrambles to think up another explanation for his odd reaction. What is wrong with him? “I wasn’t expecting you to tell me this, that’s all.”_

_No, it isn’t. If he were merely taken aback by the sudden confession, then he wouldn’t feel the need to crawl into a hole and hide. Herb seems to agree that it’s a lame excuse, because he’s peering at him with blatant concern in his features._

_“Windy, are you okay? You’re acting so weird.” Horror and panic then flash across his features for a brief second, and he nervously asks, “You’re not just saying you feel the same way because you don’t want to hurt my feelings, right?”_

_“What? No!” Is it just Wind Archer’s imagination, or is his voice really several octaves higher than it normally is? He isn’t able to understand why he’s so unusually jumpy right now, especially when he prides himself on always keeping himself together…_

_No, enough of this. If he continues to allow himself to fall apart, some awful misunderstanding will surely occur between him and Herb. He’s glad that his feelings—the ones that have been budding ever since their first meeting—are reciprocated, isn’t he? This is, without a doubt, the wrong time to be afraid._

_But why is he? He’s obviously not afraid of Herb himself, so what is it that he fears? The confession is the catalyst, obviously, but why is that so? Is it…_

_…_

_He thinks he knows now. And the realization only prompts him to curse himself._

_For being so inadequate._

* * *

“Wind Archer, why is Fire Spirit sweeping the floor while singing Cinderella tunes?”

Wind Archer only gives Sparkling a hard stare, remaining silent while a certain cookie’s terrible rendition of the Work Song fills the air. It’s been merely several days since this pest has forced himself into his life, but it feels more like many, many years; Fire Spirit has come by every single day, and he has only made it clear that he’s not about to be chased off—no matter how many warning arrows are shot in his direction. Although he’s made good on his promise to leave Wind Archer alone when his company isn’t welcome, the florist quickly realized on the second day that he did _not_ like him just standing around doing nothing.

Hence why he’s since been tasking him with chores around the shop. That way, it at least feels like he’s not being a total leech.

“Do you know that feeling where you have gum at the bottom of your shoe?” is his eventual response to the bartender’s question, barring the fact that he’s been barefoot his entire life. “And no matter what you do, you aren’t able to scrape it off?”

Sparkling actually laughs at that. God knows why, considering Wind Archer’s emotional pain isn’t particularly funny. “Fire Spirit tends to leave that impression, yes.”

“‘_Cinderelly’s not goin’ to the ball’_—and I can hear you both perfectly well!” an offended Fire Spirit stops singing mid-lyric to shout. “Seriously, Windy, are you this mean to all new workers?”

Wind Archer grunts. “No, it’s just your overall personality. And don’t pretend you work here when I’m not even paying you.”

“Psh, you totally should, though,” Fire Spirit mutters. “Hire me, I’m capable.”

“Oh, yeah?” Wind Archer, with one eyebrow raised, holds up a single pot of flowers that’s been sitting on the counter. “What’s the name of these, then?”

Fire Spirit leans his face in, squinting as if that will somehow help him. “Uh… poppies?”

“Close,” Wind Archer sarcastically states. “They’re actually buttercups.”

Fire Spirit moans and turns to Sparkling. “Can you believe this guy?”

“I’m staying out of this one. I’m not even on a shift, so if you want to tell me about your personal issues, you’ll have to wait until I’m actually at the bar.”

Wind Archer sighs and massages his temples before attempting to steer the conversation back to its original topic. “Just… what are you doing here?”

“Ah, right.” Sparkling reaches into his pocket and pulls out a phone. “Herb sent me.”

Wind Archer’s entire form tenses at the name. “What?”

Sparkling pauses for a bit, giving him an all-too-knowing look. It’s clear he’s already picked up on Wind Archer’s stiff body language. “Yeah, the tea shop’s almost finished. He suggested adding flowers to the decor, so I offered to come down here and show you some pictures of the interior.” With that said, he waves the phone. “We both figured it was a good idea to get your opinion on what would go with the aesthetic.”

“I-I see…” Wind Archer suddenly finds the counter a lot more interesting than before, intertwining his fingers together to keep them from trembling. “This is just… a lot to swallow all at once…”

How… How long has it been since construction began on that tea shop again? Has it really been this many months? He had no idea that they’ve made it this far, and it’s not like anyone’s been giving him any progress updates… It isn’t like Herb’s been here to tell him… How long has it been since he’s seen him? Too long, he feels… Why is it that his boyfriend is here and not him? Does he… not want to face him? And then once this tea shop opens, he’ll never have to see him ever again—

_Deep breaths, Wind. That time hasn’t come yet. Don’t get ahead of yourself._

His distress must be visible throughout his entire body, because that damned Sparkling’s eyebrows furrow with worry. “Hey, listen, there's no rush. I can always come back another day,” he attempts at a compromise.

“How about, like, another month? Or even another year?” Fire Spirit pipes up from the sidelines, stepping forward while holding on to the broom. “Stating the obvious here, but he’s the last cookie you guys should be asking right now.”

No… Why are they both talking like that? With those tones of theirs? Is it… more pity? That’s not what he wants… That’s not what he needs… After all, he’s… he’s… he’s—

His hands separate and ball up into fists. He raises them up high, then brings them back down onto the counter with such force that an echoing thud ensues. “_I’m fine_!”

The raw belligerence and hostility in his voice surprises even him. When he finally raises his head again, he immediately notices how Fire Spirit looks like he’s just slapped him in the face. Sparkling, meanwhile, doesn’t seem nearly as shocked (probably because he’s used to this on the job), though he’s nevertheless still rather taken aback.

“I’m…” Wind Archer inhales in an attempt to relax himself. As calmly as he can after all that, he repeats, “I’m fine.”

Sparkling nods slowly. “Right…”

Oh, dear, what has he done? The air is so incredibly thick with tension that he swears he can feel it physically pushing down on him. This would be an absolutely fantastic time for Fire Spirit to chime in with something idiotic to lighten the mood, but that doesn’t look to be happening this time. For once, the red cookie himself is completely speechless.

Still, Wind Archer finds himself saved when the door swings open, and two cookies walk in. He’d be more relieved if these two weren’t also cookies involved in the situation between him, Herb, and Sparkling.

“Hey, Sparkling!” one of them grins, enthusiastically waving hello. “What are you doing here?”

Sparkling turns, seemingly forgetting about the whole scene just now. For the time being, at least. “Ah, Vampire, Adventurer,” he greets back. “You guys headed over to the bar right now?”

“Yeah, but then we saw you through the window,” Adventurer explains, removing his hat and placing it over his chest. “Kinda pointless to try getting drinks when we know you’re not even there.”

Wind Archer keeps silent, wondering if the world just gets a kick out of making him uncomfortable, because seriously, every cookie that knows about the incident has shown up at the flower shop once or more at this point. The next thing he knows, Chili Pepper is going to pop her spicy head in any minute now.

Meanwhile, Sparkling nods. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was preparing to head back, actually. I just had some errands here.”

“Hm?” Vampire finally turns to acknowledge Wind Archer, seemingly taking him in for the first time. “Oh, hey! You’re that, uh…”

Wind Archer waits for him to finish.

Much to his chagrin, Vampire only grows confused. “Wait, who are you again?”

The florist doesn’t say anything; he just glares.

Adventurer puts a palm to his face and groans. “Hey, man, ignore him,” he says to Wind Archer, his eyes visible between his fingers. “He’s not good with names. Or faces. Or anything unrelated to drinking.”

Knowing all too well what it’s like to have to deal with a redheaded moron, Wind Archer grimaces. “I could use a drink right now, actually. It’s Wind Archer, by the way.”

“Adventurer, and my idiot friend here is Vampire,” the other cookie introduces him and his friend, earning himself a pout from the latter. “But you probably already knew that. Sorry about last time, by the way. Things were really intense at the time, so I didn’t know if you were up to anything.”

Wind Archer almost asks him what he’s talking about, until he remembers the way Adventurer challenged his motives that day at the bar. Shaking his head, he dismisses, “I genuinely forgot about that whole thing, so you could say I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

He’s barely able to hold back a loud groan when he hears Fire Spirit say something after what feels like a decade of silence. “Yeah, Addie, that was some bad judgment. Windy wouldn’t be up to anything when it comes to Herb. He's too nice to him.” After a second, he adds, “And he’s kinda an asshole to everyone else. Particularly me.”

_Who’s the asshole, asshole?!_ Wind Archer shoots him his most disdainful scowl. He can’t believe he actually wanted him to make some snide remark just a few moments ago. “I despise you.”

Fire Spirit only gestures at him like his point’s been proven. “See?” he says to Adventurer.

Neither the explorer nor Vampire react for a couple of seconds, before their expressions morph into these huge smirks and narrowed eyes. Why do they suddenly look so insufferably smug? Wind Archer has no idea what’s happening, but he quickly decides he doesn’t like it.

Apparently, neither does Sparkling. He groans, “Oh, no.”

Wind Archer turns to him for answers. “What’s happening?”

“They gave me those same looks once after they saw me and Herb together—” Sparkling begins to explain with a sigh, but then he catches himself. “W-wait, never mind! It’s better if you don’t know, anyway.” He begins to nudge his two friends in the direction of the exit. “I think the three of us have overstayed our welcome, haven’t we? And look how late it’s getting, too! I’ll see the two of you sometime soon.”

Adventurer and Vampire’s faces remain the same—all-knowing and leering—as Sparkling pushes them outside, almost like he’s shooing out two drunkards during happy hour. After they’re all gone, Fire Spirit turns to him again to get in one final comment:

“Seriously, I wouldn’t mind it if you were just a little bit nicer.”

“If you weren’t at least somewhat helpful with the sweeping, I’d have filed a restraining order against you by now.”

* * *

The next several weeks are fairly uneventful; they involve Wind Archer opening up shop, Fire Spirit unfortunately showing up not long after, Wind Archer giving Fire Spirit his chores for the day, Wind Archer largely being left alone otherwise… Even the customers that come in haven’t been anyone notable, recently. Especially not Cotton Candy, to whom Wind Archer still needs to apologize for the mishap that day. Honestly, the longer he goes without seeing her, the more he begins to wonder if he should just brush the incident under the rug and pretend nothing’s happened.

When he mutters something under his breath about that, Fire Spirit unfortunately overhears and calls him out on avoiding his obligations. God, does he hate that insolent worm.

Okay, no, he doesn’t really hate him. Nor is he really a worm. As the days go by, Wind Archer finds himself getting more and more used to his presence around the shop. It helps that Fire Spirit doesn’t go out of his way to interfere with his work, and plus, it’s nice knowing that he has one last task to do now that he has a second pair of hands.

(He’s still quite insolent, though, there’s no denying that.)

It’s gotten to the point where Wind Archer no longer feels the incentive to be perpetually hostile, except for the times when his companion is (intentionally) being such a blatant idiot that he can’t help himself. In fact, they’ve been pleasantly exchanging a few words increasingly often, mostly when Fire Spirit asks him about certain flowers and their meanings. He can appreciate that he’s putting in the effort to learn, at the very least.

One day, he catches him staring at some red roses on one of the shelves, and he snorts. “Please tell me you at least know what flowers _those_ are.”

Fire Spirit, for once, has no snarky response in return. He only continues gazing, like Wind Archer never said anything at all.

The green cookie waits a few more seconds for just the slightest reaction, but when he doesn’t get any, he takes an arrow and shoots it in his direction. Fire Spirit starts when it whizzes right past his face and lodges in the wall on the far side, and he turns to scowl.

“That wasn’t cool.”

“I don’t care.” Wind Archer puts a hand on his hip. “I thought I told you to clean the shelves, not admire the sights.”

“Ah…” His glare faltering, Fire Spirit glances at the rag in his hand, almost like he only realizes now that he’s holding it. Shaking his head, he mumbles, “Sorry. I’ll get to it now.”

As he begins to halfheartedly clean, Wind Archer frowns. It’s quite clear that there’s something on the other’s mind, but does her really want to inquire as to what? Fire Spirit is being so uncharacteristically reserved, and he looks so glum… It’s a far cry from his usually lively and cheeky disposition.

But is that really a bad thing? The flower shop is already so much more peaceful this way, and Wind Archer no longer has to worry about anything Fire Spirit may be up to, at least for today… Besides, he isn’t one to pry into somebody’s business when they’re feeling down; whatever they may be going through, they may as well want space more than anything else.

But is Fire Spirit really one of those individuals? It’s hard to imagine that being the case. But at the same time, he doesn’t exactly look like he’s expecting Wind Archer to say something… so should he leave him alone? It’s not like he really cares how he’s feeling, as long as he’s not being a nuisance to him. All of his logic is telling him to just drop it.

And yet…

Wind Archer sighs in resignation. “What’s wrong?” he finally asks. He just hopes that he isn’t going to regret this.

“Hm?” Fire Spirit takes a glimpse at him. “Why? You worried?”

Scratch that, he’s already regretting it. “Not for you,” he snaps irritably. “I just don’t need you breaking one of my pots while you’re distracted.”

Fire Spirit barks out a laugh. “Figures. It’s not a big deal, really.” Going back to cleaning, he adds, “I just have a bit of a history with roses, that’s all.”

“Really?” Wind Archer fails to hide his surprise at that. “You’re the last person I’d expect to understand anything about flowers.”

Fire Spirit shakes his head. “I don’t. It’s just this guy I liked at one point. He and his ‘lady’ had a thing for roses. Red ones, to be exact.”

“O-oh.” Wind Archer’s eyes flicker towards them for a brief second. “I… didn’t know about that.”

“Of course you didn’t. I never told you.”

The florist rolls his eyes. He should be annoyed that Fire Spirit’s typical smartassery is beginning to reappear, but this time, he takes it as a good sign. “And? What happened with him?”

“Nothing,” the other cookie simply says. “He liked her, so I never told him how I felt.”

Wind Archer’s eyebrows practically shoot up all the way to his hairline. “You’re kidding.”

“Hey, what’s with the shock?” Fire Spirit huffs. “I can restrain myself when I want to. I can read the atmosphere.”

“So? What happened then?”

“Nothing,” he repeats. “We drifted apart. I haven’t seen him in years.”

A speechless Wind Archer suddenly wonders if he really should have left him alone, after all. Who would’ve known that Fire Spirit—arrogant, loudmouthed Fire Spirit—has had such an experience? The idea of an unrequited love, where the object of affection is infatuated with someone else… It’s such a common predicament, and yet, it hits incredibly close to home.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, in a rare moment of open sincerity. “That must’ve been hard on you.”

“Hey, hey, don’t feel bad for me,” Fire Spirit casually responds, resuming his cleaning. “It happens. Besides, I’m over it.”

That should be the end of the conversation, and Wind Archer should just walk off and continue doing his own thing. But, at the same time, doing so feels like the absolutely wrong thing to do, because learning this backstory raises another question. One that he’s almost too afraid to ask aloud.

He wraps his arms around himself and swallows the sudden nervousness that plagues him. Ultimately, he decides that he’d regret it if he doesn’t at least try. Opening his mouth, he finally asks one last question:

“Is that why you came to me?”

Fire Spirit freezes mid-wipe, not saying anything. He’s so still, he can pass for a statue.

Maybe Wind Archer shouldn’t have said anything, after all. Has he overdone it? Has he pried too much? This is why he’s always preferred keeping to himself. He’s just too inept at conversation.

He’s about to speak up again, tell Fire Spirit that he’s under no obligation to answer to him, when the latter finally chuckles a bit. “Heh, maybe. I don’t really know.”

Wind Archer closes his mouth. He doesn’t know what else he can possibly say to that.

At his silence, Fire Spirit continues, “I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t pity you, you know. I honestly didn’t care about the whole situation until I actually saw you at the bar that day. But then I…” He stops, closes his eyes, and breathes in. “I realized that the two of us weren’t that different.”

“It still kind of is, though,” Wind Archer argues. “Our experiences aren’t exactly identical.”

“Yeah, you’re not wrong. In my case, I didn’t break up with anyone. Maybe it was stupid of me to think that.” He turns back around, finally making eye contact with him again. “Looking back on it, maybe that’s not really much better than pity.”

“Probably not,” Wind Archer agrees, though he doesn’t sound nearly as annoyed as he wishes he did.

Fire Spirit sighs. “So? Do you want me to go?”

_Excuse me?_ Wind Archer blinks in surprise. “What?”

“We just established that I shouldn’t have ever come here.” Fire Spirit tosses the rag onto the shelf. “I’ve been bugging you every day for the past few weeks, and for what? It’s not like I’ve done anything for you. You want me to leave, don’t you?”

This is it. All Wind Archer has to do is say the magic word—or, hell, just nod—and he’ll finally be left alone. After what feels like an eternity of being bothered, this constant thorn in his side is finally willing to go away. This is the last day he’ll ever have to deal with him, and things are going to go back to normal… It’s the moment that he’s been dreaming of. His big opportunity.

So why doesn’t he want to take it? What he should be doing right now is yelling, ‘_Damn right, I want you gone!_’ and shoving him out the door at record speed. But he can’t bring himself to. Why? He hates that he’s unable to do anything now that the chance has presented itself.

Is it because he’s secretly a weakling who can’t turn someone away when they’re vulnerable? Is it because he’s too fickle to know what he truly wants? Is it because he’s… grown to enjoy Fire Spirit’s company without realizing it?

How pathetic. What happened to the guardian of the forest who couldn’t care less? Did Herb really change him this much, for him to actually fear the concept of eternal solitude?

Or is it just that… he’s starting to feel like Fire Spirit actually understands him? It’s a ridiculous notion, since there’s nothing for him to understand. What does this guy’s past love have to do with him? He shouldn’t be nearly as affected by it as he really is.

“Wind Archer?”

Ah, that’s his name. His _full_ name. It sounds completely foreign, coming from Fire Spirit of all people. He quickly decides that he prefers ‘Windy.’

He _wants_ him to keep calling him ‘Windy.’

Finally, he shakes his head. “No.” He can’t just stand around and not give him a proper answer. And as much as he wishes he’d say yes, he has to remain honest.

“**Don’t go**.”

* * *

_“I’m sorry, Herb.”_

_He notices the other cookie stiffen. “Wh-what do you—”_

_“It’s not what you think.” He cringes again at how unbelievably cliché he sounds right now, saying one of those standard ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ lines. He needs to continue while he can still salvage the situation. “It’s just… I’m scared of things changing.”_

_Herb frowns in confusion. “What do you mean?”_

_“Hypothetically speaking, if we date—and I promise you, I do want to,” he interjects quickly before Herb has the chance to get the wrong idea. “What’ll happen if it doesn’t work out? I don’t… I don’t…”_

_“...You don’t want our friendship to be ruined?” a somber Herb finishes for him._

_Wind Archer nods after some hesitation. “Yeah.”_

_It’s not a lie. Even if that isn’t the primary issue, it’s not like he isn’t worried about that, too. It’s just… how? How can he ever tell him the full truth?_

_Herb sighs. He only ever sighs like that when he thinks Wind Archer is hiding something from him. Nevertheless, he doesn’t question him further, instead saying, “I can’t promise that it’s all going to work out, but shouldn’t you do what you think makes you happy? Without having to worry about the long-term stuff?”_

_“Th-that’s true, but…”_

_But it’s not just that. It’s not just the possibility of crashing and burning that he’s so afraid of—it’s that he knows it’ll happen. How will they be able to last when Herb is simply too good for him? They’re a mismatched pairing, where one of them deserves far more than he’s gotten… and the other deserves far less. And it isn’t necessarily like Wind Archer loathes himself, it’s just that he loves Herb too much. There’s probably someone out there much more suitable for him, so why should he settle for an asocial loner such as himself?_

_Herb averts his eyes from his own. “If you really think it’s best to forget any of this ever happened, we can do that.”_

_He’s trying hard not to sound too dejected, but he’s too much of an open book to succeed. It’s not like Wind Archer is particularly surprised that it’s turned out this way, and yet, he curses himself for what he’s just done; he’s only proven himself correct that he’s no good for Herb to waste his time with._

_It’s just an unfortunate fact about his very existence. By all logic, he should simply resign himself to it._

_But that isn’t what happens._

_“Wait,” he finally speaks up right when Herb turns to leave._

_Herb glances back at him, clearly surprised that he has more to say. “W-what is it?”_

_Wind Archer heaves a sigh, wondering what in the world must be wrong with him if he really is going to do this. What’s happened to his common sense? He really has underestimated how much it pains him to see Herb in such a state. Apparently, it’s enough for him to shed every ounce of self-control he has._

_“**Don’t go**.”_

_Maybe, just _maybe_, if he can keep him happy for one day, one hour, _one minute_… it’ll be worth it. It’ll be worth the day that will inevitably come, when he loses him, and their story draws to a close._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeesh has it been a long week. can't say I've been in a good mood lately but thankfully it seems like the worst has passed and I can go back to thinking about this fic \ o /
> 
> also have I mentioned how much I love fire spirit because I _fucking_ love fire spirit and honestly he's such a good boy he deserves the world. and windy does too, and hopefully they'll be able to find solace in each other uwu
> 
> find me over on tumblr and twitter!  
tumblr: [bobaaddict](http://bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)


	5. runaway.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"And I don't know where I'ma manage if one day he just up and leaves."_
> 
> (The day Wind Archer has been dreading finally arrives.)

_“Windy, you know how I’ve always wanted to start a flower shop, right?”_

_“Yes? What about it?”_

_“Do you think you’d… like to run it with me?”_

_“...What? Herb, I told you that I’m not going to leave the forest.”_

_“I know, but… It just occurred to me this morning. The idea that you and I could do this together… It’d be like a dream come true.”_

_“Hm.”_

_“I just wanted to raise the idea… I’m not forcing you to listen to me, obviously. I just figured that if we’re going to have a future together… we should consider going all in. What do you say?”_

_“...I’ll think about it.”_

* * *

Things change after that day. Granted, they’ve been changing for a while, but Wind Archer actually admitting that he sort of likes having Fire Spirit around feels like a turning point. It’s rather subtle, and a typical cookie probably wouldn’t even bat an eye, but Wind Archer can feel all the difference. Whatever remaining discomfort he had towards Fire Spirit has gone completely out the window, and he even finds himself exchanging words with him at times—conversations that don’t end in an urge to impale his forehead with an arrow.

One time, Fire Spirit cracks some lame pun about flowers that he more than likely pulled from the Internet somewhere. Something about how two flowers who are best friends are actually called _buds_.

It’s such a stupid and elementary joke that Wind Archer lets out a long, loud snort before he can stop himself. It quickly dissolves into actual laughter, and he holds up a flower pot in front of his face so the other can’t see him in such a silly state. The outburst only lasts a few seconds, but nevertheless, when he lowers the pot, Fire Spirit is staring at him like he’s sprouted a second head.

“What?”

For a second, Fire Spirit doesn’t even register that he’s talking to him. When he finally snaps out of it, he blinks and shakes his head rapidly. “Uh, i-it’s nothing. Sorry.”

He quickly flees to the back of the shop to sweep there, leaving Wind Archer more than a little confused as to what just happened.

Other than this one incident, he finds himself more and more relaxed around the red cookie. The guy just has a way of letting him forget about everything that may be plaguing his mind recently… even if he’s never going to admit this to him. That ego of his is big enough already, so it certainly doesn’t need any additional inflating.

Fire Spirit himself appears to have had some sort of change come over him as well, though it isn’t anything that Wind Archer finds worth questioning him about. Besides that odd situation with the pun, he seems much more at ease—almost natural—in the flower shop, almost as if he really is a staff member here. Of course, Wind Archer passes that off as him simply becoming more acquainted with the place, because what else can it possibly be?

(There’s also the fact that Fire Spirit now sports a genuine smile on his face whenever he looks at him. There’s also the fact that Fire Spirit stands more closely to him than he used to. There’s also the fact that Fire Spirit always seems a little down when he’s forced to bid him farewell every evening. Wind Archer can’t really use the same reasoning to explain these details, so he instead tries not to dwell on them too much. For some reason, he doesn’t really feel comfortable thinking too hard about them.)

“So? What flowers are these?” Wind Archer asks him on one random day, holding up a pot of flowers.

As always, Fire Spirit squints at them. “Uh… freesias?”

Wind Archer nods. “Right, and? How long do they take to bloom?”

“Ten to twelve weeks,” Fire Spirit responds with no hesitation.

“And what do they symbolize?”

He falters. “Joy? Something like that?”

“Hmph,” Wind Archer huffs and puts the freesias back down. “Nice try, but that only applies to yellow ones. White ones mean purity or innocence.”

“Ugh.” A dejected Fire Spirit slumps forward and sprawls his entire upper body on the counter. “You didn’t tell me you were gonna quiz me on colors.”

“You were the one who said you wanted to be surprised by my questions.”

“I changed my mind in between then and now.”

Wind Archer stares him down. Hard. “I despise you,” he repeats for the hundredth time, but by now, he doesn’t even bother trying to channel any venom into his voice.

“That’s so sweet, Windy.”

They’re interrupted when the front door to the shop swings open, and a cookie steps in. Wind Archer turns around so quickly, his scarf smacks Fire Spirit right in the face, but he doesn’t apologize. In his defense, he probably would have if he weren’t paralyzed at the sight of Cotton Candy standing there awkwardly at the entrance.

“Co…” Wind Archer falters, and he hates himself for it. Why is he so bad at handling this sort of situation? “I… haven’t seen you in a while.”

Although she’s eyeing him warily, she still manages a smile and a wave. “Hi, Windy.”

Wind Archer takes a glimpse at Fire Spirit, hoping to hell and back that he’ll help him with what’s about to unfold. Unfortunately, even though the latter definitely notices the look he’s receiving, he brushes the scarf away from his face and starts heading towards farther into the shop.

“I’ll leave you to it.”

_Jerk._

Taking a deep breath, Wind Archer redirects his attention back to Cotton Candy. “Are you here to buy something?”

“Y-yeah.” She nods stiffly, but she doesn’t budge from her spot.

_Of course._ Of course he isn’t going to be able to alleviate the tension by talking to her as if nothing happened. Just his luck.

Actually, no, he shouldn’t be thinking such things as if he’s somehow the victim in this scenario. After all, he’s the one who snapped at her and Chili Pepper over his… his… whatever reasons he had to behave in such a way. He needs to apologize. She’s finally here again after so long, so he’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity to make amends. He’s admittedly thought a few times about how exactly he’d apologize, but now that the time has actually come… all preparation has gone out the window. So how exactly should he proceed?

Deciding he shouldn’t just stand here silently and lose what may be his only chance, he bows his head and blurts out, “I’m sorry.”

Cotton Candy clearly hasn’t been expecting such a statement, considering he hears her gasp. “W-Windy—”

“I messed up,” he interrupts her, afraid he’d lose his momentum otherwise. “I made you and Chili Pepper feel like you did something wrong when you really didn’t.” Standing up straight, he continues, “I was feeling off that day, and I took it out on the two of you. And that was really wrong of me, so again, I’m sorry.”

She doesn’t say anything for a second, and he fears that he may have not been convincing enough. He just said all that on a whim, letting his mouth run… He worries that that isn’t going to be enough.

His concerns are short-lived, however, because Cotton Candy begins to laugh. “Windy, I don’t think I’ve seen you like this before!” she utters through her giggles. “You always came across like someone who couldn’t care less!”

Wind Archer feels his face heat up out of embarrassment, and he looks away. “I’m perfectly capable of realizing when I’ve made a mistake. I’m not so much of an idiot that I think I can do no wrong.”

Cotton Candy nods, still grinning ear to ear. “I know, but I just felt like you didn’t actually like to say you were sorry. Like, it might’ve felt like pulling teeth to you.”

He’s not about to tell her that her assumption about him is actually pretty accurate.

“Nah, you’re totally right about that, actually.” Fire Spirit shows back up, clearly having listened in on the conversation, and it takes all of Wind Archer’s might to not strangle him right then and there. “Seriously, Windy, do you have problems showing vulnerability or something? You always get so weird the minute you lose the tough act.”

Wind Archer’s sole response is to put his entire hand up to Fire Spirit’s face and use it to push him away from him. “So what exactly are you looking for today?” he asks Cotton Candy, ignoring the indignant, “Hey!” coming his way.

“Ah, just some hydrangeas.”

_Hydrangeas?_ Wind Archer tenses, but he still asks slowly, “And they’re for… her?”

In confirmation, Cotton Candy nods, and he tries to ignore the way his stomach lurches forward. “Her birthday’s coming up,” she explains, beaming. “I already finished preparing her actual present, but I figured some flowers on the side wouldn’t hurt!”

Wind Archer looks down at his feet. “I see.”

He wonders if Fire Spirit’s noticed that he’s uncomfortable, because he hears him pipe up, “Hey, since I actually know where we keep those, how about you come with me and I show you what we have?”

Wind Archer almost steps in to insist otherwise, but he finds the words caught in his throat. While he reprimands himself for not being stronger, Cotton Candy eagerly nods and follows Fire Spirit in the direction of the shelves.

“Do you work here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“I’m more like his assistant. His assistant that he doesn’t pay.”

Wind Archer sighs and props his elbow on the counter, sinking his chin in his palm. Although he’s relieved to have finally cleared the air with Cotton Candy, he can’t help but feel moody once again. At least he now knows better than to lash out… Seriously, what is it with her and Chili Pepper that makes him so glum? From what little he’s seen and heard from them, they’re happy together, so by all means, he shouldn’t be feeling this way. It’s not like their relationship has anything to do with him, either.

As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, maybe it really is for the best that he’s letting Fire Spirit do his work for him… The last thing he wants is to make yet another rash move. He’ll have to figure out how to make it up to him later.

He hears the front door open once more, interrupting his train of thought, and he glances up to see who it is.

He recognizes the cookie’s face immediately. There’s no way he wouldn’t.

And just that quickly, everything else around them disappears.

“Herb,” is all he says. It’s all he _can_ say.

Herb flashes him a smile back, and he wonders how he’s been able to go this long without seeing it. “Hi, Windy.”

“What are you doing here?” Wind Archer inquires. There used to be a time when that question would never have come out of his mouth. “I haven’t seen you in…”

...How long _has_ it been?

“Yeah…” Herb rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m really sorry. Things have just been super busy, and time got away from me…”

“N-no, don’t apologize, I… I understand…” Why… Why can no longer talk to the one cookie he should be able to talk to? “It’s good to see you.”

Herb nods, smile growing. “You, too. I missed you.”

Those three words are all it takes to make Wind Archer’s heartbeat accelerate. “I-I did, too.”

“You know, the good news is that I can come by more often now.” Herb tilts his head. “Construction is done, after all.”

Time suddenly comes to a halt, and it’s like Wind Archer gets the rug pulled out from under him. He’s thrust right back into reality, a reality where the two of them are farther from each other than ever before, a reality where they barely know each other anymore. He finally remembers they’re standing in a flower shop, one that they no longer share, where Herb feels more like an outsider with each passing day. For a moment there, Wind Archer forgot all that, because the mere sight of the other cookie is enough to make the earth stop spinning.

But now? It’s spinning again. Spinning too much, spinning too fast.

“You…” He grips the edge of the counter to steady himself, his heart beating even more quickly than it was before. “Y-you mean… the t-tea shop?”

He swears he sees Herb’s eyebrows furrow with worry. _Of course._ No matter how hard he tries, his childhood sweetheart will always, always, _always_ see right through him.

Still, despite the clear concern on his face, Herb simply nods once. And that single action immediately shatters Wind Archer’s already cracked world.

His breathing becomes more ragged, more shallow, and he leans his entire body on the counter to prevent himself from falling over. Is he trembling? He feels like he’s trembling… In a fruitless attempt to hide his state from Herb, he turns his face away from him, but he already knows that there’s no way he can just pass this off as nothing.

“W-Windy?!”

Herb’s voice is getting closer, yet at the same time, it sounds so much more distant. He knows he’s rushing over, and all he wants to do is scream at him to stay away, but he can’t bring himself to speak. And when he turns to look at him once more, he finds himself seeing two Herbs at the same time.

He feels so dizzy… Why?

“Windy, are you okay?!” Herb’s hands are now on his shoulders, trying to keep him steady, and Wind Archer can see the distressed expression on his face despite his blurry vision. “Stay with me!”

Wind Archer desperately wants to say something—_anything_—to show Herb that he is, in fact, okay, and that he doesn’t need to worry about him, but his hyperventilating prevents him from doing so. Instead, his hand limply reaches up in a lame attempt to brush his shoulders free, and when that fails, he opts to try standing straight to prove he doesn’t need any assist.

As he pushes himself off of the counter, his entire vision dims, and he finds himself falling backwards onto the cold, hard floor.

“_Windy_!”

“Windy! Windy?! Are you with me?!”

He doesn’t know how long he’s been lying there when he feels a hand gently slap his cheek a couple of times, and his vision slowly returns to him. As his eyes readjust to the light, the first thing he notices is a figure standing over him, one that he initially assumes to be Herb until he registers the flaming red hair.

“Is he okay?!” comes Herb’s frantic voice a few feet away.

“W-what happened?!” an equally distraught Cotton Candy asks, hurrying closer. Out of the corner of his eye, Wind Archer notices her tightly clutching a pot of hydrangeas to her chest.

His upper body shoots right up into a sitting position, and he instinctively backs away from all of them, his heart rate already beginning to pick up again. “I-I… That was…”

Herb steps forward. “Windy—”

Wind Archer starts shaking his head wildly. “N-no… I’m _fine_!”

“Windy, nobody said—” Fire Spirit begins, but Wind Archer viciously cuts him off.

“_Shut up_!” Both Herb and Cotton Candy jump at the explosion, but, ironically enough, the cookie he’s actually addressing doesn’t seem surprised in the slightest. “_I said I’m fine_!”

Before any of them can respond and argue back, he scrambles to his feet and dashes for the exit. As he practically pushes the door off of its hinges, he swears he can hear Herb cry out for him to wait, but he doesn’t bother turning back to face him.

He just wants to be alone right now.

Before long, he reaches the edge of a forest, one that he hasn’t visited in ages. He feels the exhaustion from running finally take over him, now that the adrenaline is wearing off, and he slows to a walk. It’s like he could collapse again at any moment; he’s physically, emotionally, and mentally drained, unable to think or do anything for himself.

As he makes his way through the trees, he trips on a large root, and the next thing he knows, he’s lying face down in the moist soil. He weakly pushes himself off of the ground and uses one of his hands to wipe the mud from his face, taking note of the stains now on the front of his clothes and body.

_Disgusting._

Not really having the energy to get back up, he crawls over to the nearest tree and flops against it. With his legs out in front of him and his back leaning against the bark, he finally allows his mind to wander back to the shop…

He’s well and truly blown it this time. Cotton Candy watched him make a fool out of himself once more, right after he managed to apologize to her for last time… He snapped at Fire Spirit in a fit of anger, even though he should have known it would only make matters worse… And Herb…

Herb…

_Herb…_

The day has finally come, the day that they truly go down separate paths. He could have at least made it so that Herb can remember him fondly in the future, but he couldn’t even do that… The very last thing he did with him was behave like a child. A child unable to let go of something that has ceased to exist.

And now here he is, once again a lone cookie in a forest isolated from the rest of society. Even after all these years, he’s failed to grow as an individual, finding himself back where he originated…

The only difference is that this time, he’s done actual harm instead of sticking in his own lane. It’s proof that he should have never left this place.

Things were better in the past, when he could be at peace with solitude, and when nobody could be hurt by him. But now… he’s ruined everything for himself, and all he craves now is someone to somehow still care about him despite everything. Yet, how is that possible? This entire day has just shown him that he’s destined to be alone forever, far away from civilization.

With that ultimate realization of eternal loneliness, Wind Archer Cookie lets out a shuddery sigh.

Sobs follow soon after.

It is now that he finally curls up and cries the tears he’s been holding in ever since the day he lost Herb, allowing them to flow freely until he falls fast asleep. While he snoozes, the sun begins to set on the horizon, its light shining on his face and drying his tear streaks.

Another cookie eventually finds him right before the sky goes completely dark, gazing down at his sleeping form silently and wondering if the worst is finally over.

* * *

_“Finally, the grand opening is tomorrow! Aren’t you excited, Windy?”_

_“Sure. Let’s just hope business goes well.”_

_“I know it will! It’s not like there are any other flower shops nearby.”_

_“Heh, you’re pretty optimistic about it.”_

_“Of course! After all… We’re starting our new life together. It has to work out.”_

_“...Yeah. You’re right. It’s a new chapter for us and all.”_

_“I love you, Windy.”_

_“...Love you, too.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooooooorryyyyyyyyyy


	6. thank u, next.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I'm so fuckin' grateful for my ex."_
> 
> (Wind Archer gets a talk from not one, not two, but three cookies.)

By the time Wind Archer stirs and cracks open his eyes, nighttime has long fallen. At first, he wonders where exactly he is, momentarily forgetting about what happened, but when it comes flooding back to him, all he wants to do is sleep again. Groaning, he shifts his body against the coarse soil, stretching his legs out in front of them. He cringes as he feels the numbness take over his bottom half, and he can’t help but ask himself exactly how many hours it’s been.

He looks down at himself, noting the brown dirt stains from when he fell earlier. He runs his hands across them in a fruitless attempt to wipe them off, but all he succeeds in doing is dirtying himself further. It’s nothing compared to how dirty he feels on the inside, however.

He’s pure _filth_. What in the world happened back there…? How could he have done that? Herb… Herb was so excited and happy to share the news about the tea shop… and what did he do in return? He let his own selfish emotions overtake him. They hadn’t seen each other in so long, and that was what he did… What an awful thing to do to the cookie he cares for so dearly. How can he possibly go back after that? How can he face him…?

How can he face _any of them_? He can’t remember another time he’s made this much of a fool of himself. And now they’ve all seen him for what he truly is… a thoughtless and insensitive buffoon who can’t even be happy for others’ achievements. This isn’t something that he can just pretend didn’t happen; he can’t just go back and act normally in front of everyone…

Yet, he knows he has to go back. As much as he wishes he could hide here forever, he knows that isn’t logical. Or at least, not at this very moment… Even if he were to retreat to the forest for the remainder of his life, he has too many loose ends to tie up, most notably the flower shop…

The flower shop. The fruit of his and Herb’s history. The physical proof of what once was their shared future. Should he even still be running it…? For the first time ever, he begins to consider closing it up for good. Up to now, he’s maintained it because he doesn’t want to end such a crucial part to Herb’s legacy… but maybe he just simply cannot do it. By keeping it around, is he just clinging to a past that he should have long moved on from? As terrible as he feels for considering it, maybe it really is best if he lets go…

Because, in the end, he’s not fine. He’s not fine at all. It’s time for him to admit to himself that he’s been living a delusion, a delusion where he’s been completely accepting of the reality that lay before him.

A delusion where he hasn’t actually been falling apart this whole time.

Finally, he pushes himself off of the ground, too worn out to think any more on the matter. He still doesn’t know exactly what he should do next, but the one thing he’s sure about is that he’s tired of fighting his own emotions. It’s all ultimately blown up in his face, anyhow. Now, all he wants to do is go home and sleep, where he can forget about all this for a few hours. Pretend like nothing’s wrong.

He hasn’t taken more than a couple of steps when he hears a voice from above:

“Windy, are you actually gonna look up, or are you just gonna make me feel like I came all the way out here for nothing?”

Wind Archer jumps at the sudden utterance, and he whips his head in its direction. There, lounging on a branch looming over him, is a cookie that he’s grown to know these past couple of months, gazing back down at him like it’s just a normal night.

“...How long have you been here?” Wind Archer finally asks him once he regains his voice. He really wasn’t expecting to have company, especially now of all times.

“A while,” is Fire Spirit’s unbelievably cryptic reply. He hops down from the branch and lands right in front of the green cookie, and it’s only then that the latter notices that he’s holding a _very_ familiar umbrella in his hands. Looking him up and down, he remarks, “You look like shit.”

Wind Archer can’t even bring himself to be offended like he normally would be. He wraps his arms around himself, unable to meet the other’s eyes. “Why are you here?” he asks bluntly. He still remembers the last thing he said to him. While they aren’t the worst words ever uttered, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel guilty now. He certainly would be angry if he offered to help someone, only to get shunned in return.

“I realized I never gave this back to you,” Fire Spirit simply explains, holding the umbrella out to him. “I went home to get it before I came here.”

Wind Archer doesn’t budge. “You should’ve just given it back to Herb,” he mutters, still refusing to look up. “It’s actually his. He just left it behind at the shop and never took it back.”

“Don’t you think it’s better if you give it to him yourself?” Fire Spirit shoots back, not faltering for even a second. “I doubt it’d mean much if he took it from me.”

“Why does it _matter_?!” Wind Archer snaps, and he immediately hates himself for it, for taking his turmoil out on Fire Spirit once again. “It’s a stupid umbrella. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Is that really how you approach everything? Just saying that it doesn’t matter?” Fire Spirit questions him flatly, completely unfazed by the outburst. “Because that’s what you’ve been doing this whole time. And look where it’s led you.”

Wind Archer tenses, feeling the sting of his words. He lets out a deflated sigh as he realizes the point the red cookie is making. _He’s right._

Fire Spirit lets out a similar exhale as he finally lowers the umbrella to his side. “Sorry. Maybe that was a little much—”

“No,” Wind Archer interrupts before he can continue with his inane apology. At last, he steels himself and meets his eyes. _Enough of this._ “No, _I’m_ sorry. You were right about _everything_ and I treated you like you weren’t, because I couldn’t let myself feel weak. Even after you told me your own story, I couldn’t. Because I was too proud to realize how wrong I was.”

“Windy—”

“You’ve stuck with me more than anyone else lately, and I couldn’t even bring myself to thank you.” Wind Archer knows he’s babbling at this point, but he doesn’t know how else to get it out. If he doesn’t say it all now, he fears that his stubbornness will catch up to him and impede him once more. “And earlier today, you tried to stop me. But I pushed you and the others away. Because I just… I just…”

Why does he suddenly feel like crying again? He’s not someone who gets emotional easily, so why…? What’s overtaken him? Can it be that he’s just this pathetic once his own dignity is stripped from him? How absolutely shameful.

“Windy, stop,” Fire Spirit finally says, effectively preventing him from making an even bigger fool of himself right then and there. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“Why don’t I?” Wind Archer argues, though his tone is utterly defeated. “I can’t just pretend like you haven’t been right this whole time.”

“Geez, why do you make it sound like I should be gloating about it? I’m just here to make sure that you’re okay.” Fire Spirit pauses for a moment before continuing, “And you’re not, obviously.”

“No,” Wind Archer agrees, leaning back against the nearest tree and letting out a shuddery sigh. “I hoped that by telling everyone I was, I could convince myself. But it backfired.”

“Clearly.” Fire Spirit rubs the back of his neck. “He’s really worried, you know.”

Wind Archer’s head snaps up at that. He _really_ wasn’t expecting such a claim. “What…?”

Fire Spirit snorts at his surprise. “How else would I have known where to find you? He said you always come back to the forest when you’re upset.”

“A-ah…”

Herb knows. He’s always known. And he still remembers such a small detail about him… Has he really kept him in his thoughts this whole time? Has Wind Archer just been so deep in his own self-loathing that he’s failed to consider such a possibility? Has he really made things worse than they really have been…?

“I didn’t think he would… still care,” he finally admits. Now that he’s saying it all out loud, he realizes just how silly the very notion is. “He’s moved on to bigger and better things, and I… I thought I just wasn’t worth thinking about any longer.”

“That’s dumb,” Fire Spirit simply states.

Wind Archer can’t help but bristle a little, even if he does concur. “You know I was never that good of a boyfriend? I knew from the very beginning that he deserved someone better.”

“And that’s why you were so okay with him moving on?”

He stays silent for a moment, but then he nods tentatively. “Maybe that was part of it. I guess I was surprised that we even stayed together that long to begin with. He’s the type of cookie that everyone likes, so someone else was bound to fall in love with him sooner or later. All I could do was hope that I could be a temporary source of happiness for him.”

“Sounds to me like you don’t care enough about your own feelings,” Fire Spirit comments as he swings the umbrella up against his shoulder. “It’s cool that you care this much about him, but no need to place him on a pedestal like he’s better than you.”

“How isn’t he?” Wind Archer mutters, fiddling with his scarf. “Like I said, anyone would like him. And meanwhile, he liked me because he’s Herb, and he’s just that nice. It’s not like anyone else would do the same.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true,” Fire Spirit replies without any hesitation. “I like you.”

Wind Archer scoffs. “No, I mean romantically.”

Fire Spirit nods. “Yeah.”

.

..

...

_Oh._

“Uh—”

“Don’t think I’m asking you to do anything with that information, because I’m not,” Fire Spirit cuts him off. “I just felt like saying it to prove how wrong you are. I’m not gonna ask you out on a date when you’re like this.”

“R-right…” For some reason, Wind Archer finds himself tongue-tied. He’s suddenly remembering the recent times, namely all of Fire Spirit’s efforts to help him out of his issues with Herb, and he can’t help but feel even guiltier. Has he been inadvertently hurting him with his lingering feelings for his ex…?

His expression must have betrayed his thoughts, because Fire Spirit speaks up yet again. “We’ve been through this, haven’t we? Don’t feel bad for me. Like I said before, it happens, and I’m used to it.” Once more, he holds the umbrella out to Wind Archer. “So? Are you gonna keep worrying him, or are you gonna do something about it? Last I saw him, he was going to the bar.”

Wind Archer gazes at the leafy item for a moment before he reaches out and takes it. As he pulls it close to his body, he takes note of its creases, worn from its age and use. He remembers a time when it was newer, a time when they were both younger and growing up together… It’s merely an umbrella to everyone else, but to him, it’s filled with memories of the two of them staring out at the rain.

“Thank you,” he finally addresses Fire Spirit, “for everything.” He then hesitates, but after a few seconds, he adds, “And I know you said you weren’t looking for an answer, but maybe.”

Fire Spirit blinks in confusion. “Huh?”

“Don’t take it as a solid yes,” Wind Archer huffs. “We’ll see where it goes.”

He turns and departs, leaving Fire Spirit alone in the forest to ponder what exactly just transpired. It’s only after he’s long gone when the red cookie finally catches on, and the grin that spreads across his face is so genuinely joyous that he doesn’t know if he can ever stop smiling.

He then thinks of Knight Cookie, and he can’t help but wonder if the latter would be glad to see him this much happier.

* * *

The bar is a sanctuary of light in contrast to the darkness of night, and it illuminates the entire street. Wind Archer, having never been here at this hour, can’t help but be fascinated by it. No wonder Herb was drawn in that fateful evening, the evening that he and Sparkling first met…

Wind Archer shakes his head. No, he needs to stop going down that line of thought, especially now. He needs to remember himself and stop putting Herb and Sparkling’s relationship at the forefront of his mind. He wouldn’t be able to move on otherwise.

He takes a deep breath to prepare himself, and he finally pushes open the door. The entire bar is empty, save for the blond bartender behind the countertop, with no Herb in sight.

“The bar is closed,” Sparkling calls over to him, not even bothering to look up from wiping the shot glasses.

“Stop forgetting to lock your door,” Wind Archer plainly deadpans.

The sound of his voice is what catches Sparkling’s attention, and the bartender stops his chore for just a moment to glance at him. His expression remains neutral like he was fully expecting Wind Archer to come by, but he doesn’t confirm anything of the sort. Instead, he simply informs him, “You missed him. He left about an hour ago.”

_Damn._ Wind Archer can’t stop his expression from souring.

Resuming his wiping, Sparkling continues, “You look like you took a tumble.”

Wind Archer grunts, unconsciously tracing his fingers over the stains on his clothing. “Nobody asked you.”

“Sorry,” Sparkling chuckles. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was judging. You just seem like you had a long day.” He waves the shot glass in his hand. “Care to sit down for a bit? If you want a drink, it’s on the house.”

Wind Archer almost rejects the offer, but he’s suddenly overcome with the hunch that Sparkling has a good reason for suggesting such a thing. A good reason that involves Herb. With that in mind, he swallows the refusal on the tip of his tongue, and he simply nods. Propping the umbrella against the wall, he makes his way to sit in one of the barstools.

“Funny, this is exactly how Herb and I met. Him coming in after closing time, him carrying an umbrella, me hearing out his issues…”

“Don’t say that like I’m him. You’re just making it sound like there’s something between us. That’s weird.”

“Again, that’s not what I intended.” Sparkling watches Wind Archer down his mojito with fervor. “One big difference though? You can handle your liquor far better than he can.”

Wind Archer snorts as he sets down the already half-empty glass. “As if I’d let you catch me getting sick.” He glances up at the ceiling, swirling his finger around the rim of the drink. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here. What is it that you want to tell me?”

If Sparkling is fazed by his straightforwardness, he doesn’t show it. “You’re quite perceptive,” he simply remarks. “He told me you were.”

Wind Archer stiffens. _There it is again._ Herb has remembered him even after all this time… and he had no idea. And he goes as far as to bring him up to his new boyfriend of all cookies? That’s…

“Are you jealous?” he finds himself asking, not even realizing it until the words are out of his mouth. Even after he catches himself, he decides to press on despite his better judgment, “Does it bother you when he mentions me?”

The question clearly takes Sparkling aback, but he quickly recovers with a resigned smile. “Heh, maybe a little,” he admits, and Wind Archer can’t help but be mildly surprised at the candidness. “But what can I do about it? In the end, you’re still the one he grew up with.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wind Archer says sharply. “That type of attitude is just going to put a damper on your relationship. You’re the one he chose, not me.”

“I’m not too bothered by it to think that it’s an actual problem. Just so you know, I’m not saying all this as if I don’t trust him, because I do.” Sparkling fiddles with his sleeves as he leans forward on the countertop. “I’m saying all this because I think you need to hear it.”

Wind Archer doesn’t say anything. He suddenly finds the ice cubes in his drink very captivating.

After a few seconds of silence, Sparkling asks, seemingly out of nowhere, “Do you hate me?”

“What?” Wind Archer stares at him quizzically. “That’s a dumb question.”

“Just answer it. And be honest.”

Wind Archer rolls his eyes, yet he still replies, “No.” After some hesitation, he adds, “But I do wonder if things would be easier if I did.”

“So you’d have someone to blame for this whole thing,” Sparkling finished the thought for him. All traces of a smile are gone, replaced by an unreadable gaze. “And then you could target your anger at them rather than internalizing it.”

_Ugh._ What is with other cookies and their desire to dissect him psychologically? Wind Archer suddenly remembers that day he first met Fire Spirit, when the guy just randomly barged in to the flower shop for the first time. Raising the glass back up to his lips, he mumbles with slight annoyance, “I didn’t know your job was to stand here and randomly start throwing your customers’ baggage in their faces.”

Sparkling grins, a little sheepish. “Sorry, maybe that was over the line. I really do mean well.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Wind Archer only sighs as he takes another sip. He really ought to change the subject before things get too uncomfortable. “Why are you keeping me here?”

Sparkling only chuckles. “I never thanked you for doing what you did. I figured now was as good a time as any.”

Wind Archer squints at him suspiciously. “You mean when I saved your relationship? Is that really it?” He can’t tell if the bartender is messing around. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I just did what was right.”

“Still, you didn’t have to,” Sparkling retorts. “You had all the reason in the world not to do it. But you did, because you care about Herb.”

“Anyone else would have done the same thing.”

“Not true. Give yourself some credit where credit’s due.”

“You’re really annoying,” Wind Archer snaps, but there’s barely any venom. Even though Sparkling may have a point, he’s not really willing to admit that. Not now, at least.

The other cookie smirks. “So are you. But I kind of like you, anyway.”

“Not romantically, I hope?” Wind Archer asks before he can stop himself. Normally, such a question would never have crossed his mind—especially considering who this other cookie is—but the combination of alcohol and weariness is beginning to cloud his logic. He’s not sure if he can handle more than one confession in a single night.

Sparkling’s jaw drops in shock at the sheer absurdity. “What?! No, don’t be silly! I just think you’re not that bad.”

Wind Archer hums for a bit, letting the alcohol sink in. “Thank you, I suppose.”

Silence. He observes the way Sparkling drums his fingers against the countertop, almost like he’s waiting for him to say more. When he doesn’t, the bartender quietly utters:

“You worried him.”

Wind Archer looks down at his drink. “I know,” he murmurs in resignation.

“He’s _been_ worried.”

“What?” He gazes at the other cookie confusedly. “Why?”

He gets a gigantic eye roll in return. “Are you sure I’m the moron here?” Sparkling simply asks flatly, alluding to that day all those months ago, when the florist came by last. “Or maybe it just takes one to know one.”

Wind Archer scowls. “Are you trying to get me to change my mind on not hating you? Because I really dislike it when my questions go unanswered, and you seem to have an awful habit of allowing that to happen.”

_Hm._ He already isn’t one to mince words, but maybe that was a little harsh. It’s probably a sign that he’s had enough to drink for the night, so he pushes the glass away.

“Sorry. That was uncalled for.”

An unfazed Sparkling waves his arm. “When you have a job like mine, you learn to not take stuff like that personally. Besides, that definitely wasn’t the worst thing someone’s ever said to me.” A gentle, understanding smile graces his features. “What I mean is that… Shouldn’t it be a given that he’s been worrying about you? You two ran the shop together since the beginning, so he wasn’t sure about leaving you alone with it.”

“Ah…” The flower shop. Of course. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. And you know I’ve been getting help, anyway.”

“Sure.” Sparkling rests his hand on his palm. “But I think it goes beyond business matters, yeah?”

Wind Archer twitches a little, understanding the implication right away. “We’ve already talked about what happened. He knows I’m okay.”

_I’m okay, I’m just not fine,_ he thinks to himself. _There’s a difference, apparently._

Sparkling only raises an eyebrow at him. It’s clear that he has his own thoughts on the matter, but instead, he just goes for, “Then maybe you should talk again so you can remind him. This is between the two of you, so I’m not in a place to tell you what to do, but I think he’d appreciate that.”

Wind Archer doesn’t say anything at first, but then he grunts. Without even realizing it, he’s been hoping that he could talk to Herb without having to be too vulnerable with him. “I hate that you of all cookies are telling me what I should do, but I think I hate how you’re right even more.”

Sparkling smiles once more. “He’s at the flower shop. He said he was going to stay there until he saw you again.”

He’s barely finished when Wind Archer stands and quickly makes his way towards the exit. _Of course he’s there._ Where else would he be?

Just as he’s pushing the door open, umbrella in his hand, he hears Sparkling call after him, “Hey, moron, does this make us even?”

“Just call me Windy, Sparkling,” Wind Archer, without slowing down his pace, responds without hesitation.

He doesn’t give the bartender a chance to say anything more. He’s already outside and rushing down the sidewalk, with one single purpose in mind, and he’s not willing to give himself any time to chicken out. Because now, he finally understands that Herb doesn’t need to know that he’s okay—Herb needs to know that he _will_ be okay.

He needs to find the strength—not the strength to pretend to be fine, but the strength to be honest with his feelings. And that journey will have to start with opening his heart up to Herb. Tragic how he couldn’t do that when they were still dating, but he can’t afford to doubt the timing of the situation now.

It’s time to begin healing.

* * *

It only takes a few minutes for him to reach his own place of business, and he can’t help but look through the windows to see if he can spot Herb anywhere. Unfortunately, he’s nowhere in sight… Is he in the back of the shop? Or is he hidden behind one of the shelves? The only indication that there indeed is an occupant inside is the fact that the lights are on…

Wind Archer feels a fresh wave of anxiety rising from the pit of his stomach, as if his body is trying to force him to turn back. It’s his last chance to do so… but he quickly squashes the thought. He’s made it this far, and he’s not so pathetic as to give up now of all times. He’ll never forgive himself if he does.

He approaches the front door and swings it open, stepping inside.

“Herb?” he calls out, before his nerves can get the better of him.

There’s a few seconds of silence that last long enough for him to wonder if Herb isn’t here after all, until he hears him cry back, “I’m back here.”

_Ah._ Judging from the direction the voice is coming from, Wind Archer thinks he already knows exactly where Herb is. Taking a deep breath, he begins to make his way towards the very back of the shop, each individual footstep ringing loudly in his head. It’s like his feet want nothing more than to stop, to turn around, to leave and go home and forget about all this… God, why is he so scared? He doesn’t remember the last time he felt this intensely fearful.

He stops right in his tracks once he catches sight of Herb right where he expected he would. The latter is standing in front of the shelves, gazing up at the top row in particular.

The top row where the hydrangeas are.

Wind Archer feels like his heart is about to beat out of his chest. Herb looks so content and wistful, staring up at the flowers… Does he even notice that he’s right there? Does he really dare… to break that peace?

“Windy, do you remember?” Herb suddenly pipes up, proving that he is indeed aware of his presence. His eyes don’t shift from the hydrangeas. “Do you remember that day we first met?”

“Of course,” Wind Archer replies softly, glancing up at them as he takes a few steps closer. “I’ve never forgotten.”

With an absentminded expression on his face, Herb reaches up and grabs a pot off of the shelf. “Did I ever tell you what I was thinking that day? When you helped me find my way out of the forest?”

Wind Archer shakes his head, stopping a couple feet away from the other cookie. “No.”

“I wondered why a cookie like you was all by yourself there, so far away from everyone else.” Herb plucks a single hydrangea out of its bunch, and though it’s subtle, Wind Archer notices a certain edge to his movements. “And I told myself I’d try to reach out. I had a feeling you wanted the company, even though you never would’ve admitted it. You would’ve just taken it the wrong way.”

Wind Archer opts to keep quiet. If this were any other day, his pride would surely will him to deny the claim, but not now. It wouldn’t work anyway; Herb knows him too well to fall for it.

“I think there’s something we need to talk about,” he instead states. _Something that’s been long overdue._

At long last, Herb turns to look him in the eye, his face unusually somber. “I think so, too.”

Wind Archer is already dreading all the potential ways he could screw this up, but he does his best to keep his disposition calm. “It’s about us.”

“Go on.”

His frustration quickly begins to rise. Why is Herb forcing him to get the first word out? It’s obvious that he knows exactly where this conversation is heading…

He inhales deeply, steeling himself. Before his stupid head can hinder him, he forces out:

“I don’t think I’m over you.”

Herb doesn’t even bother pretending to be surprised to hear the news. “And you’ve been bottling that up this whole time?” he simply asks, though he obviously already knows the answer.

“Y-yeah…” Wind Archer clenches the umbrella in his hands so tightly, it might as well break in half. It takes all of his strength to maintain eye contact. “And I lied about it because… I wanted to be happy for you.”

“Windy, I’d rather you _hate my guts_ if it meant you’d take better care of yourself.” Herb’s tone is matter-of-fact and firm, a stark contrast to his characteristic gentleness. “Because I’m perfectly aware of what I did to you.”

“That’s the thing, though—you _didn’t_ do anything. Not on purpose, at least,” Wind Archer adds when he catches sight of the other’s skeptical expression. “_I_ broke up with _you_. _I_ went to the bar that day for _you_. If anything, I did all this to myself.”

Herb heaves a long sigh that sounds both disheartened and vexed, and Wind Archer can’t help but stiffen at the noise. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m never not going to be grateful for that, but Windy, _I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for me like that._ That’s all you’ve ever done, and it drives me _up the wall_.” His voice takes on a certain hardness that Wind Archer can’t remember ever hearing before. “It’s something I’ve noticed since forever, but I never said anything because how the _hell_ do you even talk about something like that? And maybe that’s on me, but it just made me feel so _uncomfortable_. It was almost like you were my servant and not my boyfriend.”

Wind Archer is completely speechless by the time he’s finished. Herb… feels that way? He really feels that way… Throughout the entire duration of their relationship, he’s always done his best to put him first and foremost, in some attempt to compensate for his shortcomings—his incompetence at showing affection, his insecurities with being outside the forest, his failure to keep his most beloved by his side… all so he could be somewhat of a good boyfriend.

But even that has backfired.

Has he _ever_ been a good boyfriend then?

He almost keels over once the question hits him, but he forces himself to keep upright. He’s vaguely aware of his hands beginning to shake, his heartbeat picking up once more…

“I’m so sorry.”

But Herb’s voice brings him back down before he can lose himself for the second time that day. “W-what?” he manages with a slight tremor in his voice.

All hints of belligerence are gone as quickly as they appeared. A deflated Herb stands before him, rubbing his eyes before any tears can fall. “I should’ve said something sooner,” he mumbles dejectedly. “But all I did was sit back and let you fall into a hole until it was too late.”

“Herb, please don’t blame yourself.” The sight immediately expels all of Wind Archer’s self-loathing thoughts for the time being. He drops the umbrella to the floor and steps forward, putting a comforting hand on Herb’s shoulder. “My problems are my own. You shouldn’t feel the need to shoulder them.”

“That’s my line,” Herb mutters, though he makes no move to shake Wind Archer off.

The green cookie’s shoulders sag at his words. “I just… I thought that you deserved better,” he tentatively admits, the revelation feeling foreign on his tongue. Even now, he can’t believe he’s actually saying this out loud after so many years of keeping quiet. “I felt like I wasn’t good enough for you, so it scared me when you said you loved me. And I told myself I’d do everything to be the best boyfriend I could be while it lasted… even if it meant hurting myself in the long run.”

How misguided has he been to think such things, to assume that no one would notice what he’s been doing? This whole time, Herb hasn’t been oblivious at all, merely hiding his own awareness of what’s been going on.

“Windy, I loved you for a reason. You were perfectly fine just as yourself.” Herb’s head tilts towards Wind Archer’s hand, welcoming the warmth and comfort on his shoulder. “You’re better than you think you are.”

It’s such a cliché saying, but it’s probably what Wind Archer needed to hear this entire time. Hearing it come straight from Herb’s mouth is enough to make him emotional all over again, and he begins to remember everything that’s been said to him for the past hour or so.

_“He liked me because he’s Herb, and he’s just that nice. It’s not like anyone else would do the same.”_

_“I’m pretty sure that’s not true. I like you.”_

There’s Fire Spirit, who admitted up front that he fancies him, just to prove that there’s at least someone out there who can see past his flaws and shortcomings. Wind Archer can’t help but wonder when exactly he realized it. Did it happen that day when they looked at the roses? Or maybe sometime after that?

What does he see in him?

_“Does it bother you when he mentions me?”_

_“Heh, maybe a little. But what can I do about it? In the end, you’re still the one he grew up with.”_

God, what’s wrong with that bartender? If their positions were switched, would Wind Archer have trusted him to have this final talk with Herb? Is he… not worried about what could possibly go down in this flower shop? Is he not worried about what he could possibly say or do?

What does he see in him?

What do any of them see in him? Are they really bad judges of character… or is it simply that he can’t see what they see? Is his impression of himself really that warped? He’s beginning to believe that really is the case.

And that just won’t do.

Maybe he shouldn’t have doubted his own worth so much… How could he not have realized that Herb would be affected as well? He’s… No, he mustn’t go down that line of thinking. The whole point is that he should stop being so hard on himself.

Instead, all he should do is promise to do better next time. It’s a hard pill to swallow, and it’ll be tough for him to change, but it’s time to move on… no matter how slow he may be. He’s been stuck in the past for far too long.

However, he still wants to know the truth—or at least, the closest version to the truth he can get. “Is that why we didn’t work out?” he can’t resist inquiring as he allows his hand to fall back to his side.

Herb sniffles one last time before shrugging. “It didn’t help, but I think it was mainly because we outgrew each other.”

It makes sense, Wind Archer has to agree. Maybe the explanation oversimplifies their history, but perhaps it’s for the best. It’s all in the past by now, after all; there’s nothing to be done about it. Perhaps even the most complicated matters can be summed up as easily as two kids trying to navigate their way through love and finding out it’s a lot more complex than they anticipated. Still, it’s at least nice to know that Herb doesn’t blame him for what happened.

“Can we still be friends?” he asks next. He can understand if Herb doesn’t want to. “Even after everything that happened today?”

Despite his fears, Herb nods with zero hesitation. “Of course,” he accedes softly like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. With that, the remainder of Wind Archer’s worries melts away. “Just because we weren’t right for each other doesn’t mean I care about you any less than I always have. Just promise me that your world will start including other things besides me.”

“I promise.” And he means it with all of his heart. He pauses, then continues, “I was just at the bar. Sparkling’s nice.”

Herb finally smiles, and the atmosphere immediately lightens as a result. “Are you starting to think of him as a friend, Windy?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Herb laughs at the flat denial. “Typical Windy. It always takes you so long to admit you like someone.”

“I don’t know him well enough,” Wind Archer protests, trying to suppress his own smile. For the first time in what feels like forever, he feels truly comfortable talking to his ex. “And he has bad taste in friends, if Vampire is any indication.”

Herb laughs again and nods. “Right, right. I’m sure you’ve gotten to know Fire Spirit pretty well, though.”

Wind Archer practically chokes on air. “W-what—?!”

“I heard that he started helping you with the shop.” Herb raises a confused eyebrow, clearly not understanding why Wind Archer’s reaction is the way it is. “It seems like he really cares about you.”

“W-what do you mean?” Wind Archer crosses his arms and feigns ignorance. _He doesn’t need to know about what happened._

“I don’t know if you’ve seen him, but he was really upset after you ran out,” Herb explains. Rubbing his neck, he adds, “He even flipped out on me for a bit.”

“He… did?”

Herb nods. “It’s okay, though,” he quickly clarified when he sees the look on Wind Archer’s face. “He ended up calming down, and I told him where he could find you. It wasn’t anything I couldn’t take.”

“A-ah…”

Wind Archer looks down at his feet as he distractedly rubs his thumb against his elbow. _That’s right._ Herb is perfectly capable of handling conflict. There really is no need to hide anything in an attempt to spare his feelings.

“Windy?”

He looks up once more. “Yeah?”

“Next time, I want to hear about how you’re feeling from you, not anyone else.” Herb’s smile is now more understanding, more relaxed. He, too, looks like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. “Okay?”

This time, Wind Archer manages to give a small smile back. “Okay.” Suddenly remembering the umbrella, he turns and bends down to pick it up. As he holds it out to Herb, he remarks, “I believe this is yours.”

“Ah, I was wondering where it was.” Herb removes one hand from the pot of flowers to accept the umbrella. “Thanks. Want to go now?”

The abruptness of the question catches Wind Archer off guard for a moment, but he recovers quickly. At first, he only nods silently, but when he sees Herb move to put the flowers back onto the shelf, he finds himself blurting out, “Wait.”

“What?” Herb, perking up, freezes in his tracks. He gazes at the other cookie with slight concern, wondering what he could possibly say next. Is there something else…?

But Wind Archer’s smile only grows. “You wanted some flowers for decor, right? Keep them.” He motions to the hydrangeas. Echoing the words spoken to him all those years ago, he adds, “They symbolize gratitude, don’t they?”

A wave of realization comes over Herb’s expression, and he beams. He understands. “Yeah.”

He walks past Wind Archer towards the exit, holding the pot with both hands with the handle of the umbrella slung over one arm.

“Let’s go home, Windy.”

“Herb?”

“Mmhm?”

“...Thanks again. For all these years.”

* * *

_“This is so _sweet_! Two former flames, receiving closure, at last!”_

_Wind Archer patiently waits for Pink Choco to let it all out, so he could ring her up for the tulips she wants to buy. He doesn’t really mind, since they’re currently the only two in the shop, but he still doesn’t quite understand why she’s so emotionally invested in his dealings with Herb. It isn’t like she’s been there to witness anything actually happening._

_Seriously, why is she the one crying?_

_“Pink Choco,” he begins, drumming his fingers on the counter, “I appreciate how much you care, but you’re not going to burst into tears every single time from now on, are you?”_

_“You should stop worrying me then, Windy!” Pink Choco lunges forward and grabs him by both of his shoulders, and he pushes down the instinctual urge to flinch away. Glaring at him with swollen eyes, she demands, “Next time, if you’re feeling like you’re not enough, then tell me so I can be there for you! I’m level-headed enough to take it!”_

_“No comment.” Wind Archer grabs a tissue from nearby and hands it to her. “Get yourself together, so I can sell you these tulips. I’m closing early today, and you’re my last customer.”_

_“Yeah?” She nudges the pot closer to him while she wipes her eyes. “How come? You got plans?”_

_“I promised Herb I’d go and visit him at the tea shop,” Wind Archer explains as he checks her out at the register. “Like I said, it’s been a week since the grand opening, but I haven’t been. This other cookie offered to meet me there, and I’d rather not be late.”_

_“_Ooh…_” Pink Choco’s lips curl up into a teasing grin, because of course they do. “You got a date? You’re already moving on with someone new?”_

_Much to her dismay, Wind Archer only shrugs. “Not really.”_

_“Phooey,” Pink Choco frowns, but then she lights up. “What if I hit you with my Love Beam—”_

_“Do not.”_

_That’s decidedly the end of the conversation._

_It’s only after she’s gone that a ghost of a smirk finally surfaces. Wind Archer glances up at the time and, realizing that he needs to hurry to make it on time, gets to work closing up._

_He’s at the tea shop barely fifteen minutes later._

_When he steps in, the pot of blooming hydrangeas in the corner is the first thing he sees._

_The second is Herb, dressed in suspenders and a white button-up, looking up and grinning once he realizes who it is._

_And third, sitting in one of the tables with his back towards him, is a certain red cookie who seems like he’s waiting for someone._

_Wind Archer openly smiles at the scene before him._

_As he takes a step further into the shop, he steps into a new chapter of his life, towards the future._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what? what do you mean this took over 3 months to get up????? hahahahahahah time is an illusion and I'm what? a mess
> 
> in all seriousness, school chewed me up with its sharp ass teeth and spit me out so badly that I couldn't really summon the motivation to finish this final chapter even during my 3-week-long winter break. and then I had this phase where I felt like I lost my momentum with this fic and felt unsure of how I could get back into my groove but here we are! I still can't shake off the feeling that the result is kinda disappointing but hey if I'm gonna write about how windy needs to stop being so hard on himself then I should practice what I preach
> 
> will there be a sequel to this, a third installment of this universe?? maybe, I can't promise anything when I'm not sure where I can go from here. I have a few vague ideas floating around in my head though, so we'll see! <strike>95% chance it's gonna have fire spirit as the protagonist and oh boy that's gonna be some fun narration if it ever happens</strike>
> 
> for the last time, allow me to promote myself: find me over on tumblr and twitter! may or may not post about my writing process but I also reblog/retweet art and make shitty translations for a non-cr franchise  
tumblr: [bobaaddict](http://bobaaddict.tumblr.com)  
twitter: [bobaaddiict](https://twitter.com/bobaaddiict)


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